


I’ll be your home

by PeachBlue (theworldmoveson)



Series: I would give up the world for you [2]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Airbender!Chenle, Alternate Universe - Avatar & Benders Setting, Avatar!Chenle, Chenle's Big UwU Energy, Earthbender!Haechan, Enemies to Friends, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Family Issues, Firebender!Jisung, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Healer!Jeno, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Kun is an Air Bison, KyoshiWarrior!Mark, LMAO more like idiots to lovers but okay, Light Angst, M/M, Mark Lee (NCT) is Whipped, Mutual Pining, Near Death Experiences, Strategist!Jaemin, Strong Sunbae Power, Sweet Mark Lee (NCT), War, Waterbender!Renjun, how do you tag a canon divergence of an alternate universe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-18
Updated: 2019-09-26
Packaged: 2019-11-17 13:44:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 41,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18099659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theworldmoveson/pseuds/PeachBlue
Summary: It was Chenle who drew them all in initially, but it was the prospect of being part of this family, ragtag and rowdy as it is, that led them to stay.Or: Drabbles of how the Dreamies came together to form Team Avatar, and their adventures aboard Kun the Furry Flying TaxiNCT Dream x AvatarTheLastAirbender!AU





	1. The Fine Art of Eel Riding (Mark)

**Author's Note:**

> Pfft assignments? Never heard of her
> 
> I did say I have an abundance of headcanons, and these few days after rewatching Book 2 I was spurred on to write some of it out, it's too much of a waste to just dump it all into one link and publish it all y'know? This AU deserves so much more respect than that.
> 
> But seriously, we need more NCT x ATLA content

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Has surprisingly little Mark material
> 
> Yes Mark is Suki. Sort of.

_We’re going to ride elephant koi_ , he said; _We’re going to have a lot of fun_ , he said.

 

Renjun rubs up and down Chenle’s arms in a fruitless attempt to warm the shivering boy, who had hurled straight from the ocean and basically barrelled into Renjun's arms after some giant sea cucumber had attempted to eat his ride. In retrospect Renjun probably should have stopped him before he decided to make some overgrown goldfish his new mode of transport.

 

 _“Where we’re going you won’t need pants!”_ Chenle had declared earlier when the trio caught sight of a small Earth Kingdom Island. He’d shrugged the pair he was wearing off and thrown it down Kun’s side with a flourish, then he proceeded to give both Jaemin and Renjun a heart attack by basically jumping off the saddle mid-flight and free-falling hundreds of metres into the sea below. Renjun was going to have to have a little talk with Chenle concerning flight safety. And cardiovascular health. And the dangers of unknown sea life.

 

“What the hell was that?” Renjun directs the question at Jaemin as his best friend scales down the tree he was perched on and lands on Kun’s saddle. Jaemin peers out at the long shadow in the blue, the elephant koi were long gone by now, and the waves deceptively calm, but he wasn’t about to pretend that Chenle didn’t give all three (five?) of them a fright when he almost turned into fish food.

 

 _Very expensive fish food._ Jaemin wonders if Avatar meat tasted better than normal humans, maybe more fluffy and spirit-y?

 

The Avatar in question shakes his head, Renjun doesn’t flinch when cold water bounces off Chenle’s blond curls, “I d-don’t know.” Renjun holds the shivering boy a bit tighter in an attempt to pass his body heat on to him somehow. A sick Airbender really didn’t sound nice to deal with.

 

Jaemin throws a thick blanket he procured from Kun’s saddle to Renjun, who catches it and drapes it around Chenle. He rifles around the saddle some more before pulling out one of Chenle’s spare pants, and he tosses it at the younger, who cackles when Jaemin's throw hits the mark, Jaemin finds himself smiling in response.

 

“Let’s not stick around to find out.” Jaemin returns to the matter at hand and decides that he doesn’t want to learn how his companion tastes like, and he probably wouldn’t be able to ask the creature that would sample the goods anyway, “Time to hit the road.”

  

“Or you could stay awhile.”

 

Before Jaemin can turn to entertain that suggestion, there was a blur of green, and the world turned black.

 

* * *

 

Jaemin is considerably unimpressed to open his eyes and find that his world is still black and that he’s bound to a pillar. He is substantially relieved though, to hear Renjun’s quiet, shuddering breaths and feel Chenle squirm next to him, that was one step in the right direction: his friends were alive at least.

 

“Renjun-hyung? Jaemin-hyung? You’re not hurt right?”

 

Jaemin can hear the pout in his voice. He marvels at how he's already familiarized with Chenle’s mannerisms. He just knows Chenle probably has his head down, cheeks fluffed out in a pout, and probably is blaming the big fish (and the giant eel, and Kun, and probably the innocent trees, anything but himself) for getting them caught.

 

At least their kidnappers were not entirely barbaric as to gag them, they were off to a great start.

 

“They’re not hurt, no, but that can change quite quickly.”

 

As Jaemin whips his head to the general direction of the voice, his blindfold is torn away. His eyes water at the sudden assault of sunlight, he blinks to clear his vision.

 

They _are_ tied to a pillar, but their kidnap is a lot more public than he’d expected. What looks to be an entire village stares back at him as he scans his surroundings. The pillar with the three of them is surrounded by dozens of men with painted faces, all decked in full armour and matching wary glares.

 

He finally puts a face to the voice. The man in front of him looks deceptively young. Even through copious amounts of face paint he can see high cheekbones, full cheeks and slanted eyes, not unlike a cat’s. The man looks shorter than he is, but judging from the way he holds himself Jaemin hazards a guess that he was probably military trained. His body looks strong and lithe, his stance reminds him of a coiled spring, and despite his advantage of height Jaemin doesn’t dare take him on in a fight, he's seen enough warriors to know the man in front of him was definitely one.

 

“You three have some explaining to do, and if you don’t answer all our questions we’re throwing you all back to the Unagi.”

 

Appearances mean nothing, Jaemin had learnt, Chenle was the most youthful hundred and sixteen year old _("Sixteen!" Chenle had protested in a deafening shriek "Hyung, I'm just sixteen, I still get acne and I'm not wrinkly yet!" )_ he had ever met, and will likely ever meet, but unlike Chenle who is all sunshine and rainbows, the baby-face of this man does nothing to deter the aura of authority he exudes. Jaemin knows not to let his guard down, and judging from how tense Renjun is next to him, Renjun had picked up on it as well.

 

“Is that what the thing just now is?”

 

Damn, Chenle didn’t get the memo.

 

Chenle’s face is glowing with wonder, eyes alight with curiosity as he leans forward in his binds, “I saw a huuuuge eye in the water, and I waved to it! But he tried to eat me… I guess the Usagi doesn’t want to be my friend after all…”

 

Jaemin doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry. In other circumstances he would have cooed and petted Chenle on the head for being adorable, and Renjun would have given him a noogie on his big golden head for entirely missing the point. But if the sheathed swords at the hips of these warriors were any indication, they weren’t here to bond over Chenle’s cute antics.

 

While the leader in front doesn’t look amused (which, Jaemin respects as a soldier but _come on, does he kick puppies in his spare time? How can someone be so stoic?)_ at the corner of the group Jaemin sees one of the younger looking Warriors suppress a grin. He notes it down in his head. An edge is an edge, he can use a bit of leverage, and if Chenle can move him or maybe deafen everyone with his signature dolphin scream there’s a chance they can get out of this alive.

 

“Tell us the truth, who are you and what are you doing here? Are you spies from the Fire Nation?” The leader brings his attention back, and before Jaemin can answer sensibly, Chenle interjects.

 

“No! We’re not spies, um, sir. It’s my fault, sir, I wanted to ride the elephant koi… I’m sorry for coming here… I never thought it would be populated, I wasn’t thinking, really-“

 

The leader cuts Chenle off by unsheathing his blade and shoving the tip to Chenle’s chest. Jaemin’s heart jolts in his chest as Chenle stutters and stops talking. All the Warriors but the younger one unsheathe their blades, and Jaemin can tell by the heavy breathing next to him that Renjun must be hyperventilating by now.

 

“And how do we know if you’re not lying? We’ve kept Kangta Island out of the war for so long, we intend to keep it that way.”

 

Chenle, bless him, brightens again. “Kangta? This island is named for Avatar Kangta? I know him!”

 

Another Warrior speaks up and scoffs, “Yeah right, and I’m Avatar Boa, you little shrimp! Avatar Kangta passed away four hundred years ago, no normal human can possibly survive for four hundred years! Minseok,” he addresses his leader, “looks like the Unagi will have three more liars to feed on today.”

 

Chenle frowns, “But he’s me! I’m the Avatar!”

 

“Lies!”

 

The leader, or Minseok, holds up a hand to stop his subordinate, but Jaemin can hear the displeasure in his voice, “The last Avatar was an Airbender who either died or disappeared following the Fire Nation raid on the Temples, if you had an inch of decency, you would not dare desecrate the memory of the Avatar in front of us.”

 

Jaemin’s heart jumps out of his throat as the Warrior next to Renjun raises his blade and other Warriors move to mirror the action.

 

"Hyung!" The young Warrior earlier speaks up from the edge of the group, his voice threaded with nervousness. Jaemin doesn't miss how their leader softens a fraction of a degree, "Hyung, they might be telling the truth, the boy is blond, that's an Air Nomad trait-"

 

"Hair can be a deception or a wig! We'll know whether or not it's real hair after we take them down!" Minseok's right hand man barks, "Attack!"

 

At times like this he’s grateful he’s a quick thinker and an even quicker speaker.

 

“Chenle! Airbend, now!”

 

At his cue, a strong waft of wind surrounds their pillar and disarms the Warriors. The currents force the painted men back before knocking them down with a clatter. Jaemin finally lets relief wash over him as Chenle slips past his binds and jumps several dozen metres into the air, bolstered by the wind. The crowd gasps at this display of power and Jaemin silently relishes the stunned expression on Minseok’s face.

 

When Chenle finally lands gracefully on his feet to stand in front of him and Renjun, he holds out his arms to shield them both, his face is uncharacteristically serious.

 

“I am the Avatar. I'm a real Air Nomad. I wasn’t lying. I don’t mean to anger any Ignagi, and I definitely would not insult my own past life. Please don’t hurt my friends or I’ll have to fight back.”

 

The Warriors on the ground look up at him in surprise and awe. Disbelief colours Minseok’s voice “It’s true, You- you! The Avatar is back!”

 

“Yeah!” Jaemin really needed to ask Chenle sometime where he kept all that eagerness and energy in that small frame of his. Was it the Avatar spirit? Or was Chenle secretly blessed by some Magical Dolphin Spirit of Vitality?

 

“Now _check this out_!” Chenle produces three marbles from the pocket in his sleeve, and Airbends to spin them in a parlour trick that neither Renjun nor Jaemin had been very impressed with. The crowd cheers, however, and Chenle preens. Jaemin is glad that at least these people weren’t hard to please, it makes everything from here on out a bit easier, because while Chenle captivating the village is great and all, Jaemin really just wants to get out of their binds. He's losing feeling in his lower arms from how tight the binding is - that's not a good sign at all - and Jaemin likes the function of his arms too much to part with them  

 

He meets gazes with the unnamed young Warrior, and it's like a switch clicks when the boy's eyes light up in understanding. Without waiting for a cue from Minseok, he strides up to the pillar. With a flick of his wrist, he produces two gleaming golden fans and cuts the rope binding them. Renjun slides to the ground, legs failing from fear and relief. Jaemin scuttles over to give Renjun a hug as he exchanges nods of acknowledgment with the boy.

 

The young Warrior turns to Chenle, and literally folds himself into half with how deep his bow is.

 

“Avatar, we're sorry for binding you and your friends, we just wanted to protect our village from danger. If you do stay, we’ll make it up to you. It’s an honour, especially on this island, to serve the Avatar.” His voice trembles with reverence, but when he looks up his eyes are swimming with fascination.

 

Chenle just gives him a sweet smile, the one that squeezes his eyes into a line _oh he’s so cute_ and pulls him up, Chenle clasps his hands in his small ones, “It’s okay, you freed my friends, that’s what counts! I’m Chenle, I’m not Kangta really, please don’t bow, you don’t owe me anything!”

 

The boy blinks owlishly, Jaemin stifles a laugh- this boy will probably be next in Chenle’s ever-ongoing mission to befriend the world and Chenle looks delighted to have free reign over his speech and the silent allowance to press on. True to his guess, Chenle continues, “Stop being formal with me, you look barely older than Renjun-hyung and Jaemin-hyung anyway. Just be comfortable, I want to be your friend instead, what’s your name?”

 

Minseok’s mouth is definitely open by now, “Mark. My name is Minhyung, but Mark- I’m Mark.” The boy finishes lamely, pink tinting his cheeks.

 

Even Renjun is holding back snickers as Chenle takes that as a cue to go full on, “Mark-hyung then! Do you like fans? Is that why you use them? Can I see them? It’s really shiny! Is it real gold? Do they bend? OH it’s _sharp_! Why a fan though? Is it that hot here? If you’re hot you should take off your armour! Or I can take you out to a fly with Kun! Have you met Kun? Do you want to meet Kun? I promise he doesn’t eat people like that Ignani!”

 

Laughter bubbles at his lips before he can stop it. If it means being able to watch Chenle harass someone else like this, he wouldn’t mind staying a while. Mark answers each and every enquiry with an exasperated sort of fondness, and a smile that tugging at the corner of his lips. Mark is already charmed by Chenle as who he is, rather than the all-powerful Avatar, just as he and Renjun had been.

 

* * *

 

As the people bustle to carry out their duties to prepare for the Avatar’s stay, Mark had stayed behind to accompany them with a nod of approval from Minseok.

 

They learn that Mark, along with the rest of the Kangta Warriors were all non-benders that specialised in combat. They learn that the swords were intimidating, but the Kangta Warrior’s real strength lay in the pair of sleek and sharp golden fans that they carry about. Jaemin later learns that despite the fan’s delicate appearance, he is barely able to hold his own against Mark with his spear before their short duel ends with his weapon on the ground and the sharp edge of an open fan pressed to his jugular. Chenle apparently is also a Very Loud Clapper (Is it an Airbending thing? Jaemin thinks it is, probably something to do with manipulating the particles in the air so the sound travels further, because Jaemin likes explanations, and loud hands can’t be explained by a huge set of lungs)

 

They learn that Mark had lost his parents to a voyage in the sea due to an untimely storm and was practically raised by Minseok and the rest of the Warriors, that he was named Minhyung by his parents, but since he could babble he'd just said _Mak, Mak_ over and over again and the Warriors thought it was a waste not to call him that, by the time he'd grown enough to protest, it had stuck. They learn that he's barely a year older than Renjun and Jaemin, at nineteen, had always felt lonely because of the different life he led from other kids, he longed to venture beyond the blue to see the rest of the world. They find despite Mark is older than all of them, Chenle finds his mannerisms adorable, and Airbends a lot more than usual just to catch Mark's wide-eyed expression.

 

They also witness that not only is Mark incredibly susceptible to Chenle’s infectious energy, even Minseok, despite his frosty demeanor, is not immune to the young Avatar either. Chenle manages to make Minseok crack a smile when he accidentally blows up the statue of Kangta in the main square when he was trying to impress Mark by using his fans. Mark spends a solid ten laughing and hitting Renjun who was rolling on the floor next to him.

 

“Bet you seal jerky that Mark will ask to join by the end of the week.” Renjun says quietly to Jaemin, eyes soft with amusement as they watch Chenle tap Kun on the nose to wake the bison up. Kun sneezes, blowing Chenle and Mark into bushes several feet away. They share a laugh as Chenle tries to Airbend to clear both of them of Air Bison snot while convincing Mark to hitch a ride on Kun.

 

“Don’t worry, it’ll be fun! Way more fun than riding the elephant koi, for one Kun won’t be eaten by the Iguana anytime soon! _And_ his snot can't reach his back, it's the safest place from Bison sneezes!”

 

_Spirits, we're a good 40 yards away, this kid is so loud._

 

"What about Minseok?"

 

Renjun scoffs at his question, "Are you kidding me? Minseok practically adopted Chenle in half a day, he's basically given us Mark's hand in marriage."

 

Jaemin watches Minseok come by, he chuckles and ruffles both Mark's and Chenle's hair, and orders both of them to clean up with a fond smile. He shrugs, _true enough_.

 

He contemplates the deal, then meets Renjun’s eyes and grins.

 

“Give it three days.”

 

“You’re on.”

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

Little did they know it really didn't take three days.

 

Two days later, the Fire Nation coast guard catches wind of the Avatar’s location. They devastate Kangta Island, and their group is forced to flee.

 

Mark does join them, but rather than him bidding the village a whole-hearted farewell, it was Minseok pushing all four of them to safety, and Mark reluctantly clambering on Kun.

 

It takes one look at Mark’s teary eyes as they were flying away before Chenle decides to display his free-fall act again. This time, he rides the Unagi instead of the Koi, and manages to coax water out of the aggressive eel to douse the flames on Kyoshi Island. It earns him a heartfelt hug from Mark, and a huge lecture and long overdue noogie from Renjun.

 

Jaemin however, can barely manage a smile. Ever observant, he had witnessed a messenger hawk sent off by the coast guard to the general direction of the Fire Nation. If his speculations are right, that letter isn’t going to just stop at the hands of the coast guard’s commanding officer. Chenle’s existence will finally be made known to the rest of the world, and to the Fire Lord himself.

 

They aren’t covert anymore, the Fire Nation will be sending their full forces to stop them and capture Chenle. It will be a bloody fight to the North.

 

Jaemin wins the bet in the end and they gain an immeasurable ally in Mark, but the seal jerky is bland and tasteless as he worries it on his tongue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wondered whether I should flesh out Mark more but I wanted to bring to focus onto Chenle (since in the last work I basically struck him down after like two seconds)
> 
> So wow yes I started a series to detail how the dreamies meet I’m in so deep
> 
> I probably will only pick out select scenes in each episode that I thought held quite a bit of impact or that I think the Dreamies fit into. Transcribing the entire episode would probably ruin it for you guys since it'll be like 80% waffle and dialogue, so sorry if you were looking forward to a particular scene and I didn't end up writing it!
> 
> For reference H.O.T. Kangta (Also SM's creative director) is Kyoshi, so it's Kangta warriors instead, dw the fans and the face paint remain the same  
> Minseok is a combo of Suki's role in the Warriors and Mark's Mentor, I wanted Mark to be mobile and able to leave the island with the Dreamies, so his role is one I dreamed up, it's also scarily fitting somehow I have no regrets
> 
> These shorts will probably be in non chronological order, I started with Mark because he's precious and should be appreciated no matter which universe, though this one is basically me abusing the name of the Unagi through Chenle :D
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it! Please leave a comment, I'd love to know what you think!


	2. How to fish for an Airbender (Renjun and Jaemin)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Renjun swears on the Spirits that he really just wanted fish for dinner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I finished this earlier than I expected I thought I'd just post this ahead of time- just before Renjun's bday! Hope you guys like it!
> 
> Disclaimer: The author does not believe that a boot is an adequate substitute for a fishing net

Renjun swears that he had thought Jaemin was 60% genius, 30% idiot and 10% moron. But right now Jaemin is trying to prove his golden formula wrong by displaying that he was in fact all idiot. Because who, by the Spirits, would catch fish with a boot and a string?

 

He opens his mouth to let Jaemin know “The disdain I’m feeling for you right now is immeasurable.”

 

Jaemin pouts, “There’s not enough dried vines or dried guts for us to use to weave a net, I have to make do.”

 

“A boot though?”

 

“It’s a good scooping tool.”

 

Renjun looks skyward and asks the iceberg Spirits, wherever they were, for strength.

 

“There! There- a fish! Injunnie, get us over there, now!”

 

“I can’t aim that well-“

 

“Just bend! It’s swimming away, I want fish for dinner!”

 

Renjun obliges with a sigh, because he wants fish for dinner too. He really isn’t that good a bender, he’s never had a Master to teach him how to bend properly, then again precisely because of that he should grasp every opportunity there is to practice, he supposes. He readies himself for failure as he motions with his hands for the water to push their boat along the water.

 

“Great, go further, just a bit faster!”

 

Renjun purses his lips in effort, and adds more strength to his bending. He can feel the exact moment when he overcomes the force of the water and it responds to his bending.

 

Their boat jolts and shoots forward, passing their happily swimming meal and launching them both directly into a current, they both shriek as the current carries them fast, too fast along the little canal between several large glaciers.

 

This was not the type of strength he had in mind when he prayed to the iceberg Spirits.

 

“AHHH RENJUN, ICEBERG!! LEFT, WE NEED TO GO LEFT!!”

 

 _LEFT_ , he motions, and the boat lurches. For a moment, the water obeys him, the canoe head points in the direction to safety, away from the current that seemed hellbent to ruin them. That brief moment of happiness was shattered when the current disagreed with _left_ and hastened, ripping them away from their course and running them smack into a huge iceberg.

 

There was a loud crack that Renjun really didn’t want to know the cause of, and a splintering sound of their canoe. Huge sheets of ice and snow topple over the nearby glacier and fall into the ocean, raining down on them and the remains of their canoe, water is starting to enter from the sides from all the extra weight, and to their alarm, Renjun’s panic freezes the canoe into the surrounding ice.

 

The glacier behind them lets out a large groan, and to their collective horror, decides to deposit the biggest slab of snow Renjun has ever seen into the ocean. An iceberg underneath them is suddenly pushed up, and they look at each other in alarm when they feel their canoe _rise_ from the water. That can’t be good.

 

Without thinking, they grab onto each other and jump, with the force of the head-butting iceberg the two of them are catapulted onto safety on a large float of ice with an _oof_ before their canoe flips, splinters for a final time, and sinks.

 

Renjun tumbles into Jaemin who is holding his boot by a string in one hand, and holding onto his bone club in the other. And the two of them lie there on the ice, catching their breath.

 

“I’m never canoeing with you ever again.” Renjun tells Jaemin sincerely, he winces as his joints creak when he gets up to brush the snow from his coat and boots before it soaks through the seal fur. _It just had to be the day after I did the laundry_ , Renjun inwardly grumbles, seals were so hard to come by these days that they're running out of seal fat to make soap with. He'll need to persist with wearing this coat for at least two more weeks. Two more unbearable weeks.

 

“Injunnie…” Renjun looks up from his home-maker troubles when he hears how faraway Jaemin sounds, “What in Spirits' name is that?”

 

Renjun turns to see what Jaemin is looking at. Where the remains of their canoe should have been, was the weirdest iceberg, shaped in a perfect sphere. Jaemin walks closer warily, and when the sunlight runs over the iceberg, Renjun suddenly sees it.

 

The figure of a boy in the iceberg.

 

He’s really regretting asking the iceberg Spirits for anything now.

 

The boy is softly glowing. He’s sitting in the lotus position, held so still that Renjun is certain that he’s not alive.

 

As always, the universe loves proving his wrong, as if he'd heard Renjun’s thoughts, the boy’s eyes open, glowing with a strange white light.

 

A strangled gasp makes its way past his lips and Renjun picks up the club on the ice and runs to the icy dome to hop closer to the boy in the iceberg, Jaemin scrambles to hold him back, “No! Renjun, there’s- We don’t know what that is!”

 

“He’s alive.” Renjun says with a mix of wonder and awe, he looks at Jaemin whose expression is more horrified than anything.

 

While Jaemin is by nature more cautious and calculative, a natural born strategist, Renjun lets his instincts guide him more often than he should, he doesn’t enjoy double and triple guessing his decisions. For as long as he remembers, Jaemin had always been the one to keep a cool head and think them out of situations, to hold him back from rash decisions. Not unlike the one now.

 

“He’s alive! We have to help!”

 

Jaemin looks like he wants to both hug Renjun for being brave and throw him on the ice for being stupid. So Renjun repeats, more quietly this time, hoping to convince his best friend and partner-in-crime, “We’re the only ones here, Jaemin, he might die in the iceberg. We have to help.”

 

Jaemin’s eyes search his face before he reluctantly lets go of Renjun’s wrist. Renjun wastes no time picking his way across the chinks of ice. He’s aware of Jaemin’s heavier footfalls close behind him, and when he gets to the iceberg, he steels himself before swinging Jaemin’s club as hard as he can.

 

It takes three strikes to chip through the ice, and a huge gust of wind bursts through the opening in the iceberg and throws them both back onto the icy ledge they were on before. The cracks they made start to glow, the fissures quickly snake their way over the whole dome.

 

Jaemin throws himself over Renjun just as the dome explodes, the entire orb of ice is destroyed by wind, gales of immeasurable strength whips at them both as they both hold on to each other for dear life. Neither of them are prepared for the beacon of white light that blinds them both as it bursts from the core of the iceberg and shoots into the sky. Renjun’s heart is thudding so hard in his chest that he thinks Jaemin can probably feel it, even through the thick padding of their clothes, when the light and gales subside, he steals a look past Jaemin at the iceberg.

 

Light still encircles what remains of the ice dome, now reduced to a hollowed out crater. Jaemin gets up first, pulls Renjun behind him and points the end of his club at the crater, they watch in combined fear as something emerges slowly from the depression of the iceberg. Renjun tries to pull water to him, if that figure is dangerous, or if it’s something far worse than a boy, he’ll need to try to throw as much water as he can at them if they’re going to make a break for it.

 

The figure slowly straightens out, and the light dissipates to reveal a small boy, dressed in thin yellow and orange robes. The boy stumbles and gives a moan before he suddenly collapses, eyes closing and knees buckling.

 

Renjun leaps out to catch him before he registers his body moving. “Renjun! Be careful-“ Renjun pays no heed to Jaemin’s warnings, he gently sets the boy down against the base of the ice crater.

 

He studies the boy carefully, takes in the fluffy curly golden hair of the boy and the tattooed arrows on his limbs. The boy in the iceberg is around his height, but slightly broader than Renjun’s fine-boned frame, but just barely. His nose is slightly flatter than the features of people in the South Pole, but small and rounded, with full cheeks and a soft face, the boy looks really young, he couldn’t have been older than sixteen. Renjun throws whatever thought that he once had about him potentially being dangerous over his head.

 

The boy wrinkles his nose and gives a little whimper, Renjun places his hands on the boy’s shoulders and gently gives him a shake. Renjun holds his breath as the boy slowly opens his eyes.

 

“Hi,” the boy’s voice was higher pitched than he thought it’d be, boyish and airy, but with a smooth timbre, “What is- Where am I?”

 

Renjun manages to find his voice, “You’re at the South Pole.” He has at least a million questions on the tip of his tongue, he settles with asking, “Do you know how you got here? What’s your name?”

 

The boy rubs at his temples, “How I got here… Oh!” He suddenly perks up, and Renjun is startled as he smoothly rises to his feet in one swift motion, almost elegantly, and nimbly vaults over the remaining side of the crater. There was a soft _plop_ , a rumble, and a squealing laugh of delight, “Kun! Kun, you okay? Wake up, sleepyhead!”

 

Jaemin raises an eyebrow, and they get to work to scale the edge of the crater, feeling clumsier than tiger seals in comparison to the boy’s light-footed steps. They clamber over the ledge to see a huge furry white creature with an arrow of brown fur on its head.

 

Renjun yelps and, in his surprise, loses his grip on the edge of the crater. He hears Jaemin cry as he hurls down to the centre of the depression and braces himself for the impact. He doesn’t meet the ice hard though, a ball of air cushions his fall and places him gently on the centre of the crater, right in front of the giant creature’s nose.

 

“Renjun!” Jaemin slides down the sides of the crater to land none too gracefully next to him, “You okay?” Renjun manages to nod, his eyes are fixed on the creature in front of him. It looks vaguely like buffalos he’d seen before in story scrolls, if buffalos were ten tonnes, big enough to house a tent on its back and had six legs. It opens a single brown eye, and Renjun scrambles back in alarm.

 

“W-what in the Spirits is this?” Renjun directs the question at the boy, the boy laughs, a high pitched sound of pure joy, “This is Kun, my flying bison!”

 

Jaemin snorts, “Yeah, and this is Renjun, he sends me flying sometimes too- OW!”

 

Renjun unrepentantly thinks his best friend totally earned that punch to his side when Jaemin crumples from his tackle, Jaemin however, quickly straightens and schools his face into a serious expression. He turns his attention back to the mysterious boy, who had been laughing a shrieking full-bodied dolphin cackle, a strangely an endearing sound, at Renjun's attempt at his life, “Who are you, and what was that light? How do we know if you’re not trying to signal the Fire Navy Coast Guard?”

 

The boy cocks his head in confusion, “Why would the Fire Coast Guard be at the South Pole? And why would I signal the Navy? Are they after me? Am I in trouble?”

 

“What do you mean are you in trouble?" Jaemin’s guard was up now, Renjun could tell, and that wouldn’t do any of them any good, "Are you trying to bring us trouble?” Jaemin continues, shoulders tense. He needs to stop Jaemin’s hackles from rising further before he clubs the kid over the head with his boot.

 

Renjun sighs, “Let’s all calm down. Jaemin, I don’t think he has anything to do with the Fire Nation, he doesn’t look like it.” He looks to the boy, “We never got your name, I’m Renjun, the one holding the boot is Jaemin.”

 

The boy grins, “I’m Chenle! Nice to ah- a- ACHOO!” Chenle’s sneeze generates a blast of air, he whizzes ten feet off the ground up, up, up.

 

Renjun’s mouth involuntarily flies open, and Jaemin is stunned into stupor when Chenle lands gently in front of them, unharmed. “Nice to meet you guys!” He finishes, sniffling and rubbing his nose.

 

Jaemin’s eyes are widening in realisation, he’d already put two and two together, and it’s moments like these that makes Renjun call him a genius, that gets them both into and out of trouble just as quickly, “You’re an Airbender.”

 

A light breeze ruffles Chenle’s blond hair and tussles his robes, “Sure am!”

 

Renjun's world flips, everything he's been taught is suddenly overwritten. It all makes sense now, all the winds and his soft landing in the crater with the air breaking his fall, and the presence of an Air Bison, he struggles to form words as he gasps, brain going a mile a minute.

 

Chances are, the very last Airbender, perhaps the only descendant from a sole survivor of the Airbender Genocide is standing right in front of them. Those ice Spirits really weren’t playing around, if Renjun had asked for something other than strength, what would they have unearthed instead? Renjun is vaguely horrified at this thought.

 

Jaemin looks over at Renjun, “Are we dead? Is this why we're seeing this? That seal jerky from last night was poisoned, wasn’t it, we both have Midnight Sun Madness.”

 

Chenle giggles, “You two look perfectly fine to me! Hey, can I ask you guys something?”

 

Renjun in his daze, finally gathers himself for long enough to utter an “Uhm”

 

Mentally he smacks himself in the forehead, and he's glad that Jaemin has enough comprehension left to make him look thoroughly unimpressed at Renjun's response. With his limited brain capacity, Renjun starts to consider the possibility of Midnight Sun Madness, he remembers that incomprehension and difficulty of speech were common symptoms and inwardly starts panicking _Oh Spirits it was the end, he was going to die._

 

Thankfully, Chenle doesn’t seem to think any less of the lacklustre answer he gave, nor does he seem to notice Renjun's mini internal breakdown at the possibility of his imminent death.

 

He steps closer to the two of them and _beams_ , sunlight, cotton and bunny rabbits somehow rise to Renjun's mind, his lips automatically pull back in response.

 

“Will you guys go penguin sledding with me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The trick is to pray to icebergs apparently
> 
> Not the best descriptive piece since I thought dialogue would better convey the sibling dynamic of RenMin. Bant of fishnets vs boots was based on a Starbucks conversation my friends had, though it was in a fashion context rather than actual fishing I'm so lame.
> 
> Comments are always, always, extremely appreciated!!! Thank you for reading :D


	3. Eye of the Storm (Renjun)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first time Renjun sees the Avatar State, Chenle was grieving his home and all his friends killed in the Airbender genocide.
> 
> The second time was rather helpful really, he'd single-handedly ended the Siege of the North when they lost the Moon.
> 
> The third time, Chenle entered the State when he believed his inability to control it had gotten Jaemin killed.
> 
> Renjun's learnt to associate the Avatar State with incredible raw power, monumental amounts of destruction and Chenle being miserable.
> 
> Most are awed to witness it. Some have threatened to kill to see it. Renjun doesn't care for it, he just doesn't want to see Chenle hurting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Turns out deserts don't have bison daycares (poor Kun), and Sandbender gliders really should be made to be windproof
> 
> This isn’t the usual meet cute, it’s a really short piece on the Dreamies in the Desert, hope you guys like it!

_“You muzzled Kun?”_

 

This is the last straw.

 

Chenle had been considerably distraught when they made it out of the Library and found Donghyuck holding the collapsing building up with the last dregs of his consciousness. He had been alarmed when Donghyuck passed out just as he whispered _I'm sorry_ and Kun was nowhere to be found. He had been angry, so angry that Sandbenders had the gall to attack his friend and take his bison that he had turned his staff against the first buzzard wasp that offended them and struck it down when it had tried to carry Winwin away.

 

In their trek through the sandy dunes, the dark cloud of his lost bison turned Chenle moody and miserable and quick to frustration, a far cry from his usual happy self. It wasn't until Jeno had Healed Donghyuck enough for him to walk himself instead of relying on the members' piggyback relay that the worried crease in Chenle's brow lifted considerably, despite his mood still in the low.

 

But this, hearing these Sandbenders confirm it, that they left Donghyuck literally lifeless in the desert, captured Kun, abused him, sold him- This is the last straw.

 

Chenle’s eyes and tattoos light up in fury as he enters the Avatar State, hot dry winds start to pick up, and with a bang, Chenle destroys the last of the sand gliders with a hurricane-force whip of air.

 

The sand bender pales as Chenle points his staff at him, fear written all across his face at Chenle’s wrath, “I-I’m sorry! I had no idea it belonged to the Avatar!”

 

Chenle looks foreign to Renjun like this, face contorted in so much rage and hatred as he speaks with all the voices of the Avatars, _“Tell me where Kun is!”_

 

“I- I traded him! To merchants! He’s probably in Ba Sing Se by now! They were going to sell him there!”

 

Whatever was left of Jaemin’s cactus high must have faded, because with one look at Chenle he knows to grab Jeno and urge Mark and Donghyuck to start running from the Airbender as the air grows dense and tightens around them.

 

Donghyuck’s eyes are wide as he takes in this side of Chenle he's never seen before. He’s barely pulled back to reality by Mark as their oldest scrambles clumsily, careful to support Donghyuck's weight, as they hurry to put distance between themselves and the young Avatar.

 

The wind accelerates and the Sandbenders raise their arms to shield themselves, as if it would good do them any good, “Please! We’ll escort you out of the desert! We’ll help however we can!”

 

Chenle isn’t listening, he’s so livid his hands are shaking. The air around Chenle forms a fast moving sphere, it rips sand up from the ground and the gales carry it higher and higher until all of them are standing in a deadly grainy whirlwind.

 

Chenle starts to rise from the ground surrounded by his sandstorm. Untouchable. Dangerous.

 

Renjun can just barely hear Jaemin yelling over the wind at everyone to _Run! Everyone get away now! Renjun!_

 

Renjun doesn’t move. He looks at Chenle’s tense figure from where he’s standing as Chenle rises into the sky.

 

He’s sick of running, of crying, of frustration and anger, and he’s so sick of losing his friends.

 

If he hurts anyone, Chenle would be devastated when his head clears. He’ll hate himself and blame himself, and Renjun will lose more and more of Chenle, fragments of that beautiful boy he met in the South Pole, as he slips into that downward spiral. It's a spiral that comes with age and war, but it's a spiral Renjun is very much unwilling for Chenle to vanish down.

 

It pains Renjun because Chenle is young, too young, to experience any kind of loss, much less one of his people, of his best friend. And much less of what little laughter this dark world hasn't taken from him yet.

 

They’ve lost Kun already, he’ll be damned before he lets that happen.

 

Renjun runs forward, braving the whipping gales to grasp Chenle’s wrist.

 

The face of an enraged Avatar looks back down at him.

 

Chenle’s expression is menacing, eyebrows pulled together, teeth clenched and arms clamped and fists balled up in anger.

 

Renjun should, by all counts, be terrified. He knows what Chenle is capable of in the Avatar State, he’s seen the Avatar completely clear out the Fire Navy from the North Pole, witness him wreck the Earth General’s training base, tear the Air Sanctuary apart. Renjun knows the power Chenle wields, and he knows all too well that anger and hurt can push people to do the unthinkable.

 

But this is Chenle, and Renjun’s not afraid of him.

 

Renjun pulls him down, wraps his arms around him and holds him tight. He closes his eyes against the wind and lets the tears he was holding back fall.

 

His heart breaks for Chenle- The sole remnant of his home, his time, his culture and the Air Nomads, his best friend and companion that had been with him since the very beginning was cruelly ripped away from him, bartered and sold like merchandise. Without Kun with him, Chenle would've been truly alone.

 

Now with Kun gone, he won't let Chenle be alone. He can't.

 

Renjun ignores the rough sand chafing against his skin- He’s at the eye of the sandstorm. Chenle is the eye of the storm. Chenle matters more.

 

He squeezes the younger as tight as he possibly can. The violent gales start to die down and the roar of wind fades.

 

He feels tears soak his shoulder. He doesn’t know how long he holds Chenle like this, but he knows Chenle is out of the Avatar State when he goes completely slack in his arms.

 

The howl of the wind is gone, and all he can hear is Chenle’s heartbroken sobs.

 

He holds him up, holds him tighter, even as the rest of the group walk up to them to join their embrace, he doesn’t move. As long as Chenle needs him here, he’s not going to.

_I'm right here. I won't ever leave you._

 

_I won’t let you be alone._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m soft. 
> 
> After rewatching the episode, all I could think of when I saw Katara just standing there was how Renjun would be in her place.
> 
> Ah yes, and the cactus juice. I was going to have Mark drink it, but I thought having Jaemin drunk/high flirting with Jeno would be hilarious while Chenle is still all broody in the desert. Mark would make such a funny cactus drunk, but Mark should be considerably stressed since Donghyuck has yet to make a full recovery so he wouldn't be taking any strange risks anytime soon. Also character wise I thought part time genius part time moron Jaemin would be more likely to sample the goods lol just a small detail in my head
> 
> I find Renjun's angle strangely comfortable to write in somehow, I keep coming back to his narration, I'll try to branch out to the rest of the Dreamies :D
> 
> Comments are always appreciated!! Thank you for reading!


	4. Frozen Frogs aren't Ice Lollies (Jisung)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jisung sets out to capture the Avatar from Admiral Yifan's hold, he gets a friend and really frostbitten fingers in return.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ChenJi FTW
> 
> Yes.

The Avatar is smaller than Jisung thought he'd be.

 

He was expecting an all-powerful bender, a century old at least, with snowy hair, a long fluffy beard and definitely wrinkles. Hell, maybe even a pair of tusks and a barbed tail, because who in the Spirits’ name would be able to survive being frozen for that long? He must have had some crazy Zen power that could convert age into badassery, after all even Commander Yifan had trouble cornering him and almost got killed when the Avatar had reportedly destroyed the Temple of Boa. The Avatar must be reasonably skilled.

 

After Commander Yifan had reported yet another failure to capture the Avatar in another Earth Kingdom town, with a surprisingly animated story involving stolen Waterbending scrolls and backstabbing pirates (which, honestly what did the Commander expect, they were _pirates_ ), his father Fire Lord Changmin had summoned Jisung and ordered him to capture the Avatar alive or not to ever return home.

 

Jisung understands that to the Fire Lord he's worth way less compared to his brother Taemin, who houses the same ruthless disposition, but he admittedly does still want his father to at least acknowledge his abilities. So Jisung takes the pseudo-banishment in stride, and with his cousin Taeyong, takes a ship and crew of his own and leaves to follow the tracks of the Avatar.

 

By the time he's all caught up in the progress of the Avatar Chase, Yifan had decided that apparently Jisung, a boy half his age, was now his rival and he’d do anything and everything to keep the Avatar away from him despite his main job being to assist the Fire Lord to placate the Earth Kingdom provinces and not chase after his Avatar Vanity Project that _no one asked him to do_. All of this has Jisung appropriately puzzled, because even if Jisung is technically banished, bringing the Avatar to the Fire Lord would not win Yifan the status and honour of a prince, but the Admiral is prideful and he's willing to throw all his resources on the line than let the younger prince get to 'his' prey first. 

 

Adults were _so_ strange.

 

But adults were efficient, it seems, since Jisung caught wind that Yifan had gotten his hands on the Avatar by employing the Yuyuan Archers and had locked him in his basement. The man should have transported the Avatar immediately to the Fire Nation, but because he was promoted from Commander to Admiral (again, Jisung is extremely confused because all Yifan had done was report failure to corner the Avatar several times over), he wanted to keep the Avatar a bit longer to gloat.

 

Now, before you misunderstand, Jisung is not an opportunist, he never saw the merit in throwing stones down the well to take out the down and drowning, but when the possibility to just stealthily sneak into the base and get the Avatar without the trouble of having to track him down himself presents itself, he'd be a fool to not take it. He's somewhat grateful that Yifan's hubris allowed him the chance to intercept before his ticket home goes on a one way trip to his Father's throne room.

 

Jisung takes his previous statement back: Adults can be extremely inefficient. He's secretly dreading the time when he'll turn middle-aged and obstinate. It makes him feel better to think that Taeyong will get there first though he doesn't voice it, Taeyong'll get all pouty and dejected and Jisung really doesn't want to deal with that.

 

Thankfully though, Yifan seems to be at that age, and inefficient adults were precisely the reason why he was sneaking about Pohuai Stronghold decked in all black, with a blue mask tied to his face and his duo Dao broadswords slotted comfortably in his hands as he peers into the Avatar’s cell.

 

The Avatar looks around his age, he’s definitely shorter than Jisung, his fluffy blond hair, a trademark of the Airbenders, gleams softly in the lowlight. Jisung takes in full cheeks, pink lips and slightly puffy eyes. Compared to his own awkwardly long limbs and broad shoulders, the Avatar is smaller and narrower, with a fine and delicate bone structure which makes him look dainty and light, but not frail. Clad in his orange attire in the dark and dirty cell, he looks like a ray of sun in the darkness, almost fairy-like.

 

Oh, Jisung is in trouble. He wasn’t expecting the Avatar to be _so pretty_.

 

He doesn't expect the high-pitched shriek from the Avatar when Jisung breaks his chains in one fluid motion ( _“Are you here to save me? Why didn’t you say so!”_ ) and he definitely did not think frogs would suddenly wriggle out of the Avatar’s clothes and croak their way down the corridors as he tugs the Avatar along. He also didn't anticipate the laugh that leaves his lips when the Avatar shrieks that his friends need to suck on those frogs.

 

 _Suck on them_? Is the Avatar alright? Why in any Spirits’ name would you give your friends frogs to suck on? But again, Jisung reflects, he wasn’t someone who could actively speak on this matter: Growing up, the closest person to him is Taeyong, and he acted more like a mix of a father and an older brother to him. So technically Jisung has no friends, he thinks dejectedly, and his grip on the Avatar loosens.

 

The Avatar must have felt Jisung stiffen, because he stops struggling, “I said something, didn’t I? Did I upset you? Did you want the frogs too?”

 

Jisung is about to vehemently deny that _no he did not want anything to do with half frozen frogs thank you_ when a bell sounds in the distance and he hears yells of ‘ _The Avatar has escaped!’_

 

He immediately quickens his strides, dragging the Avatar along and pushing him into the sewer system opening he used to get into the Stronghold. The two of them creep underground with bated breaths as armoured footsteps thunder past, over their heads. He finds himself hyperaware of the Avatar following close behind him, goosebumps rise in the back of his neck when he feels the puffs of air the blond boy breathes out brush against his collar. Jisung's long fingers tremble as he fumbles with the hatch. He manages to open it without breaking the handle (a small victory) and they slink out into the open night air, careful to minimise their footfalls as the Stronghold descends into high alert.

 

Jisung had sneaked in earlier by crawling underneath a supply cart and hanging on for dear life, he'd judged by the cart stops that they would have to pass by three gated walls before reaching outside. He's suddenly extremely proud of his decision to bring a rope with grappling prongs because 1) it's legitimately the only way out of here and 2) he gets to show off how prepared he is to the cute boy.

 

They’re scaling the first of three walls of the fortress when someone shouts “There! On the wall!”

 

Jisung curses as a guard appears up on the battlement and cuts their rope. He barely suppress a scream as they fall, but the Avatar manages to Airbend them to a soft landing so Jisung is left feeling a bit silly. He shakes it off and unsheathes his swords as he dashes after the Avatar, who’s blowing the dust away to clear their path.

 

“Close all the gates! Now!” Yifan bellows, and the Avatar twists round to look at Jisung, “Stay close to me!”

 

He barely nods in reply to the Avatar before soldiers come thundering and the gate in front of them closes. Jisung falls back on his reflexes honed from years of training to fend the guards off with fluid parries. He's dimly aware of the Avatar blowing more guards out of the way somewhere behind him. He’s dodging a strike from a spear when the Avatar grips the back of his robes and throws him into the air with a rush of wind, catapulting him onto the top of the wall. Jisung is glad that he doesn’t squeak in surprise, that would most definitely ruin his cool new image as the Blue Spirit.

 

He's instantly surrounded by the soldiers stationed on the inner wall, he prepares to block a strike when the Avatar appears like a vision, twirling a broken spear as an air lift with a shrill cry. He plucks Jisung off the wall and into the air while aggressively spinning the stick above his head, struggling to keep them aloft. Jisung is somewhat sorry that this small boy needs to support both their weights so he tries to make his job easier by diligently knocking away the badly aimed spears sent up their way.

 

They make it to the top of the second wall by the skin of their teeth and crash unceremoniously onto the battlements, Jisung manages to throw the guard swinging his sword haphazardly at them off the wall with a wince. The Avatar Airbends all the other guards off the wall in one fell swoop, and proceeds to work with Jisung to knock down the guards climbing up the ladders. He clears two ladders with two huge rushes of wind and brings them over to Jisung while Jisung rids another of soldiers by shaking the ladder and throwing spears within reach down. The blond steps onto Jisung’s emptied ladder and hands one ladder over to him to take.

 

“Hold this! Jump on my back!”

 

It’s a bit strange to jump on the back of a boy at least half a head shorter than him, and Jisung has no idea what he's up to but he complies and wraps his arms around the Avatar's neck.

 

To his amazement, the Avatar starts using the ladders as massive stilts and Jisung is awed because _cute, capable and creative, wow_. The Avatar drops their first stilt after they take a huge step, and calls to Jisung to hand him the other one. Jisung manages to rips his gaze from the other's face to react in time. One tactless soldier interrupts their romantic trek across the huge courtyard by sending gouts of fire up their ladders, forcing them to jump ship from their last stilt. Their flimsy grip on the last wall ends up failing them and they slip to the ground with harmonised shrieks.

 

Jisung despairs briefly as he sees the ladders consumed by fire, he doesn’t know if the Avatar has it in him to Airbend them both over the wall, the blond is breathing exhaustedly next to him, and if worst comes to worst, he might have to face Yifan and his legion of goons alone without his bending if he doesn’t want to give away his identity. Jisung does consider himself skilled with his duo broadswords, but he doesn’t like those prospects at all.

 

The soldiers waiting on the ground unleash their flames. Jisung immediately unsheathes his swords to block, but the Avatar is quick to put Jisung behind him, and quicker to knock the flames away with a gust of air.

 

He hears an undignified screech from far away, “Hold your fire! The Avatar must be captured alive!”

 

Jisung makes a split-second decision before he crosses his swords in front of the Avatar’s throat in a threat. The blond boy stills in alarm, but relaxes slightly when Jisung whispers a soft apology into his ear. Jisung doesn't like using blackmail either, he was hoping earlier that the Avatar would be knocked out and that he could somehow smuggle him out inconspicuously- he hadn't wanted to engage in a full scale fight with the soldiers of the Stronghold, but what's happened has happened and if their only chance out is to give a show, he'll give them a show.

 

His tactic works, because the gate behind them opens with a reluctant creak, Jisung retreats slowly with his ‘captive’, they step back tentatively in tandem with their eyes still on Yifan's tiny figure in the distance as they cross the final gate. The Avatar has the sense to whip up a huge cloud of dust as soon as they cross the threshold, and Jisung feels a thrill of success at Yifan's enraged shout when he loses visual of them.

 

Jisung takes the swords off the Avatar’s neck and the Avatar curls his hand against Jisung’s wrist. He runs, towing Jisung along, and lets out an endearing squeal of a laugh.

 

“That was so much fun! We should do it again!”

 

Before Jisung can say something, anything- _What did you just say? Spirits, are you insane? Do you enjoy getting your life threatened? How are you so beautiful when you smile?_ \- a projectile comes whistling through the mist that the Avatar conjured and nails him on the mask. The Avatar gives an alarmed shriek.

 

 _Oh hell, I forgot the Archers,_ is Jisung’s final thought before he blacks out from the impact.

 

 

* * *

 

He wakes to a pink morning sky, a canopy of leaves and the Avatar’s curious gaze on him. It takes him a few beats and a hand to his face before Jisung realises the mask isn’t obscuring his vision anymore, and he’s got a full view of the Avatar’s pretty face.

 

“Sorry! I didn’t take off your mask intentionally… It came off when they shot at you- That really scared me! I didn’t want to leave you there so I carried you to where I was headed anyways…”

 

The Avatar trails off, fiddling with his fingers.

 

Jisung should be attacking him, should shoot the Avatar with a fist of flames while his guard is down, but instead he hesitates, and something in him decides that he should put the boy in front of him at ease, because he doesn’t like how the little frown sits on his features.

 

He clears his throat; he doesn’t want his voice to break on his first official meeting with the pretty Avatar, “Thank you for saving me. If you left me there I would have been branded a traitor and probably killed by the Admiral.”

 

The Avatar looks shyly at him, “Y-You saved me first. We actually make a great team, plus friends help each other out, right?”

 

“F-friend?!” Jisung’s voice comes out in a strangled squeak.

 

“Yeah! You saved me at the risk of your life! Out of that heavily guarded prison! And I can’t thank you enough for what you did, really. You…You don’t want to be?”

 

The blond boy deflates, and Jisung scrambles to do anything to get that frown off the Avatar’s unreasonably attractive face.

 

“No! I mean- Yes! I mean- I- We… We can’t.” He realises heavily.

 

Oh of course he wants to be, he desperately does. His first friend! Who would have thought in the midst of his banishment someone would like him enough to befriend him? But the Avatar is the symbol of balance, and Jisung is the son of the Fire Lord, this was a friendship that just isn’t meant to be. Jisung didn’t want to bring ruin to this boy, to betray the first person who ever offered him companionship.

 

“Avatar, we can’t, I- I’m the Prince of the Fire Nation,” he confesses, defeated.

 

He squeezes his eyes shut so he doesn’t need to see betrayal in the boy’s eyes, “I’m supposed to capture you and send you to my father, I literally should have shot you with flames the moment I woke up… We can’t, and I don’t want to already lose my first ever friend before we became friends...”

 

A beat, then a firm: “That’s a load of nonsense.”

 

“What?" Jisung gaps, "I’m- Avatar! I’m not lying! I _am_ the son of Fire Lord Changmin! Here-“ He shoots a burst of flames into the air, and when the Avatar barely flinches, he fumbles with his robes to produce the gleaming headpiece of the Prince of the Fire Nation that he always carries with him, the small but recognisable insignia of Flames is carved onto heavy gold, “Proof! I am the Prince! I’ll just betray you one day- I’ll backstab you! We can’t be friends- We-“

 

His voice breaks, and he suddenly aware tears are running down his face, “We can’t be real friends, Avatar, not when I’ll harm you instead.” He whispers, more to himself, pathetically.

 

He squeezes the Crown in his palm in a tight grip as if he could make the reminder of his identity disappear. He’s always taken pride as a member of the royal family of the Fire Nation, even if his family isn’t tight-knit or warm, ironically. But he wanted his father’s approval and trust, and he wanted his brother to acknowledge him.

 

Right now all he wants is for himself to be a commoner, so he wouldn’t have to refuse the first offer to be his friend, extended to him despite not knowing who he really is. The fact that he was supposed to hurt this beautiful blond boy in front of him- it pains him more than it should.

 

The boy tackles him in a flying embrace and suddenly he has an armful of Avatar.

 

Getting hugged by someone that wasn’t his mother or Taeyong is different, and not a bad kind of different, he thinks.

 

He was smaller when he was last held by his mother, so her embrace was like a duvet- protective, engulfing. Cuddling with his mother always felt like holding a load of blankets and being wrapped in one because of the layers proper palace attire. His mother, a non-bender, ran slightly cooler than most and it always felt soothing after a day of harsh training and lessons.

 

In contrast, Taeyong's hugs are almost too hot from his Fire within, hugging Taeyong is like hugging a firm muscled brick wall, the older hardened and sinewy from battle. He might be taller than Taeyong now, but his cousin remains to be broader than him still, so Jisung still feels like a child whenever Taeyong holds him, he associates his cousin with sturdiness and stability.

 

Holding the Avatar is foreign- for one, the boy is lighter and smaller than him, and his embrace is comfortably warm, arms soft as they wrap around his midsection. Jisung lets himself relish his hold on this pocketful of sunshine, allows himself this luxury before they have to separate and they have to be enemies again.

 

“You know,” the Avatar began, hushed and airy, “I had a friend, a hundred years ago, from the Fire Nation too, Yang Yang is- was one of the most mischievous and tender-hearted people I know. So when I woke up, and they told me his people had killed all of the Air Nomads in cold blood, I had so much trouble believing it, because how can a nation who raised someone as kind and fun as Yang Yang be ruthless enough to wipe out an entire race of people out of greed for power?”

 

Jisung lets himself focus on the Avatar’s voice, imbued with pain and heartache, he feels guilt rising from his throat to the tip of his tongue as the blond continues, words muffled by Jisung’s shoulder.

 

“But then I thought back to why I left: how the Elders wanted to separate me from Monk Yixing, who raised me and taught me everything I knew; how Renjun-hyung told me his hyung was shunned and excluded when he first came from the North Pole because he was a dancer and didn't fit into the Southern Water Tribe's image of a warrior, I grasped it- if people in power can sacrifice the happiness of one of their own in the name of their own nation, then it makes sense for the ambition of Fire Lord Junsu to override what the people in the Fire Nation really want and need.”

 

Jisung freezes under the Avatar’s solemn gaze when he raises his head, he's transfixed by the quiet breaths that fan against him, the lazy rays of morning light that dances across his face, his cheeks, his collarbones.

 

“Prince of the Fire Nation- I still don’t know your name- Kindness isn’t limited to one nation, neither is ruthlessness. Do you actually think, after seeing you confess and cry, that I would still think any ill of you? That I would still associate you with the murderers who took the people I love away from me?”

 

The Avatar raises his hand, and Jisung closes his eyes, bracing himself for a slap, a hit, anything, but instead he feels warm fingers trace his cheekbone, wiping away the stains of his tears,

 

“I don’t think anyone who despairs at the prospect of hurting a friend can ever be a bad person.”

 

He opens his eyes and looks at the Avatar in wide-eyed wonder, beats of silence pass by and the Avatar giggles, a lovely high tinkle.

 

“You’re so cute! Your nose is all red!” A finger softly boops him on the nose, and Jisung manages to choke out a small laugh.

 

“The offer still stands you know, Fire Prince or not, I still want to be your friend.”

 

The Avatar’s eyes are squeezed into a line from the force of his smile and Jisung finds his own mouth twitching in response.

 

“…Okay.”

 

“Okay?” The Avatar’s smile grows wider as Jisung nods.

 

“Great! I’m Chenle, I like eggs and noodles a lot! Egg custard tarts are my favourite dessert! I’m technically turning seventeen in early winter and I’m really, really good at Airball! Nice to meet you!”

 

“My name is Jisung, I’m-“

 

He pauses, what should he say, really? _I'm the Fire Prince and I'm genuinely sorry my dad is out for your blood?_ That doesn't sound very first-meeting appropriate at all. He doesn’t have many hobbies, nor is he particularly talented in things other than swordfighting and bending, he can’t cook to save his life (the first egg he tried to boil exploded on the stove, Taeyong was so traumatised that he'd ordered the crew to keep Jisung away from the kitchen at all cost), he’s not unintentionally funny like Taeyong, nor is he sharp like Taemin. He cries more than he should, he's clumsy and breaks everything he lays his hands on, he doesn't have any other friends, his favourite animal is turtle ducks but all that just sounds plain embarrassing to say.

 

“-just Jisung.” He settles for that, toes curling slightly as blood rushes to his cheeks.

 

Chenle thankfully just takes it in stride, “Well then, Just Jisung, can you help a friend out? My hyungs are sick and tired and are stuck lying in a cave and this crazy apothecary auntie told me the only cure is to suck on frozen wood frogs, mind joining me in my hunt?”

 

Jisung doesn’t mind, he doesn’t mind at all.

 

He spends the rest of the morning as the sky turns from pink to blue dipping his large hands into icy cold puddles, careful to keep his natural heat contained. Chilly rainwater seeps through his boots and splashes through his pants, but he does it again and again until his fingers clumsily close around a frozen frog. Chenle’s face as it lights up when he presents it to him makes it a million times worth it.

 

 

* * *

 

 

(“But when this is over,” Jisung says in the middle of trifling in another small pond, “I’ll need to resume my duty to capture you again…”

 

In response he gets a confident smirk that makes his insides flutter and heart palpitate, “Oh you can try! Come catch me if you can!”)

 

 

* * *

 

 

Jisung returns from his failed mission to his cousin's blubbering (“You missed Lieutenant Gikwang’s breakdance and Crew-member Hodong's Tsungi Horn performance Sungie! It was so moving as well!” Taeyong is actually so distraught, Jisung finds it somewhat hilarious) with numb fingers and exclusive knowledge on how to cure a peculiar cold.

 

He’s not all that bummed though. He’s surprisingly pumped to plan his next move to trace the Avatar, he tells himself it’s not because he’ll get to see him again. It's not.

 

Chenle’s laughter is still vivid in his memory, still makes his heart thrum quicker whenever he closes his eyes to imagine his smile.

 

He goes to bed with a new friend and a full heart.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally it's Jisung's turn
> 
> It's a bit long-winded because I had to establish the lore here, I also had to revise it multiple times because I wanted to adjust my writing to how Jisung would think. I don't think he'd be as tunnel-visioned as Mark, he'd probably be pretty broad viewed and easily distracted and still be in awe of (and criticise) things even when he's supposed to be focused in a fight because he's a baby chick who thinks like an alien sometimes. Seriously.
> 
> Also: I discovered that there was a transcript for Avatar episodes while writing this and I'd just like to thank the internet because now I can have a framework of the fight-scenes without having to watch the episode 93848948393 times (even though knowing me I'd still watch it that many times just for the enjoyment)
> 
> Just in case I wasn't clear:  
> Changmin is Ozai  
> Taemin is Azula, but is an older brother instead  
> Yifan is Admiral Zhao  
> Taeyong is Iroh, but rather than his uncle he's his cousin (both he and Taemin featured in Crossroads)  
> Boa is Avatar Roku  
> Junsu is Sozin  
> Yang Yang is Kuzon, Aang's friend from the Fire Nation
> 
> Admiral Zhao had to be tall, broody and hot-headed (and have great eyebrows) Have you seen Yifan frowning? He looks really scary sometimes so I thought his image would be a good fit, I don't hate him, I just really needed someone to put into Zhao's role and Zhao isn't known for being a saint. (Also: imagine Yifan Firebending pls. And like Fire-roaring. Pls. Das Hawt.)
> 
> Hope you guys still like it despite the changes! If you're confused about the plot behind the Fire Nation Family please comment, I'm happy to explain it, I can't type it all into the end note but I promise it makes sense :D
> 
> Thank you for reading this far! Do leave me a comment and let me know what you think!


	5. Rock Gardening 101 (Jaemin)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Jaemin worries about pulling his weight in their team of benders, Jisung presents to him a solution in a form of a Swordsmaster who seems to be far more skilled in teasing his own attendant

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow OMG you're still aliiiiive?
> 
> No. No I'm not.
> 
> Lmao so sorry this update is really late. I’ve been out of commission because of assignments and projects, finals aren’t even here yet and I’m already swamped ><
> 
> I have already written a bunch of drafts (bulletpoints), but I can’t find the time to edit them at all, so I’m so sorry if you guys were looking forward to updates! I’ll try to find the time as soon as I can!
> 
> Meanwhile enjoy this one about my son Jaemin :D
> 
> Alt title: Pray for Yesung

Jaemin has always known his mind is his greatest weapon.

 

He knows despite being in a team of benders and really good fighters, they all depend on his quick thinking and strategies to get out of tight spots, but it’s hard sometimes, to not feel pressured, or dare he say it, inferior, when a supernatural fight happens and he’s forced to watch.

 

Well he has really good aim, he supposes, and he’s really good at throwing his boomerang. He’s also quick on his feet- travelling with Chenle and Donghyuck has really honed his instincts to run, but none of these would ever be substantial in a full on fight to the death with Taemin, would it?

 

He brings it up to the gang mid-meal, the night after a meteor lands several leagues away from their camp and the rest of them, bar him and Mark, sprang into action to put out the forest fire. Hell, even Mark had successfully patted out several small embers in the time he’d panicked and snuffed out one.

 

“You always feel like _what_?” Renjun looks like a deer caught in headlights, like he’s almost afraid to hear the answer.

 

“I just- You’re all benders- no offense Mark-hyung, you’re amazing- and when something happens, like last night, all of you can pull your weight, and I’m stuck either running or getting in trouble and needing you guys to pull me out of it.”

 

Jaemin predicament continues to pour out of him, “Mark-hyung can fight, he’s so good he doesn’t need a weapon, he can hold Jimin back and all, Jeno is great with a spear too, he can deflect all of Jongin's knives _and_ he’s practicing with Renjun on combat Waterbending. He can also heal all of you when worst comes to worst, and I-“

 

“Jaemin,” Renjun’s voice was quiet when he cuts in, “We never thought of you as lesser just because you can’t physically strike a blow.”

 

Jaemin winces at the blunt words, and Renjun’s expression falters.

 

“Dude, we won’t love you any less just because you can’t swing around an overgrown toothpick.” That was Donghyuck for you, he supposes.

 

“Yeah, hyung!” Chenle agrees, “You’re our idea guy! We need you to think for us! If it weren’t for you we’d be long gone, like we would have been caught by Jisung and that giant Sushi!”

 

“Shirshu,” Jaemin corrects as Jisung blushes, “And you’re not wrong, I do try to pull my weight, partially because all of you are idiots who are tunnel-visioned and know nothing more than fighting.” He manages a wan smile when they all protest, “But when we’re facing off, like when we bump into Jimin, Jongin and Taemin, I feel so helpless, watching all of you battle but not being able to defend any of you- I can’t even defend myself.”

 

Silence settles over the lot of them, the flicker of the campfire is loud, too loud until Jisung speaks up, “You’re not too horrible, Jaemin-hyung if that’s what you’re wondering.”

 

The rest of them snicker as Jaemin whines, “Jisungie~ Must you be so blunt to your hyung? I’m the only one who actually buys you Fire Flakes!”

 

“I mean- um, I uh, do have a suggestion to improve your situation- I mean- I don’t mean it in a bad way, mostly, just kind of bad-“

 

Jaemin laughs as Jisung fumbles, he finds it adorable how he’s still awkward as ever, but he’s slowly growing comfortable around them, progress is progress, “Jisung, I don’t mind, go ahead.”

 

Jisung stills, and forges on, “In the next town over in Shu Jing, I learnt how to wield my duo swords with my Master, Hyukjae. He’s the best swordsman in the Fire Nation, and a pretty swell guy. Hyung, you’re not hopeless yet, your reflexes are okay, your blocks are barely acceptable,” Jaemin gives a squawk at that, this talk was ebbing at his esteem! Jisung continues his critique, “You’re a fast learner, I’m sure it won’t take much to make you a fairly decent swordsman, what you really need is a proper Master…”

 

Jisung trails off, and Chenle nods vigorously, “That’s right! I never would have gotten where I am without Monk Yixing! And Renjun-hyung! And Haechan-hyung! Masters are so important, I bet Jeno-hyung also had a Master in spear training!”

 

Jeno next to him moves to cup his hands over Jaemin’s as he nods, voice low and smooth as he responds “I did, and it took me years to get to that level of dexterity. I've smacked Doyoung-hyung in the forehead with the butt of a spear too many times for him to not be mentally impaired at this point..."

 

Jaemin manages a chuckle, impaired or not Doyoung was a major strategist in his own right, he imagines a younger Jeno pouting while apologising. Adorable. Doyoung would never be able to stay mad at him. Jaemin wouldn't be able to at least.

 

"I do agree with Jisung and Chenle though, I think it’s a good idea for you to seek out a Master if it puts you at ease, just know that we don’t think any less of you if you didn’t.”

 

Jaemin meets Jeno’s eyes, he looks so lovely and soft, warm firelight casting a buttery glow over his features, “My feelings for you are all the same, it’s not and will never be dictated by your worth or self worth.”

 

Jaemin’s hand moves before he can stop it, and honestly he doesn’t want it to, he cups Jeno’s right cheek and strokes his cheekbone tenderly with his thumb. Jeno gives a grin in return, eyes curving into lovely crescents.

 

“It’s settled then,” Mark says, “We’ll head into the next town over and find Master Hyukjae and convince him to take him in.”

 

* * *

 

 

Renjun is unusually quiet in the conversation over the remaining meal, where he would usually interject with scathing comments here and there, and it doesn’t even take Jaemin a look to tell something’s wrong with his best friend. So when Renjun excuses himself early to bed, he follows without a word.

 

“ _Injun-ang_ ”

 

Jaemin uses his pet name for Renjun in lieu of a greeting. Renjun remains silent, his back to Jaemin as he thumps down on a rock at the corner of the camp.

 

Jaemin doesn’t need to wait long though, before Renjun’s emotions bubble over.

 

“What kind of best friend am I?” Renjun’s voice is wobbly with frustration and sadness, “I didn’t even notice how you were feeling, I was so caught up-“

 

“You were caught up making sure we stayed alive Injunnie, from running from the Fire Nation, to losing Kun, to Junmyeon and his Dai Li and Ba Sing Se falling, to making sure Chenle recovers, you didn’t have even have time to mourn-“

 

He cuts himself off before he can say the name, his sentence hangs in the air.

 

_Mourn Yukhei_

Jaemin’s heart twinges as Renjun’s expression crumples.

 

“This- I feel so stupid sometimes, Jaemin. He was so charming, and I fell too fast, too hard, when I barely knew him- who he really was.”

 

Words spill from Renjun’s lips, fast and jumbled, “He used me in the end, for his petty revenge, and I- How can I claim to love him when I don’t even _know_ _him_?

 

“We left him to die in the catacombs a-and I- sometimes I wonder which Yukhei I’m mourning. Sometimes I wonder which Yukhei I’m supposed to mourn…”

 

Tears come flooding into Renjun’s eyes before Jaemin can take it back and apologise, all he can do it pull Renjun into his arms and coo soft _sorry’s_ (Not _it’s okay_ , because he knows it isn’t, Renjun is not okay)

 

He knows all too well Renjun has kept this in for longer than considered healthy, this cry is long overdue- so Jaemin lets him let it all out on his shoulder.

 

They stay locked in each other’s embrace, until Renjun says, muffled against Jaemin’s shirt, “I’ll do better.”

 

“Injunnie, that’s not what I-“

 

“No! I’ll do better as a friend! I’ll be more alert! I pay a lot of attention to Chenle-“

 

“As you should, he’s a _baby,_ a _fetus_ -“

 

“I should pay equal attention to my best friend too.”

 

Jaemin falls silent at this, Renjun smiles through his tears, “You’re one of, if not the most important person in my life, Jaeminnie, and I’m sorry if I don't show it often. I’ll do better.”

 

Jaemin squeezes his best friend harder, now tears are welling in _his_ eyes and he’s supposed to be the stronger one, to be Renjun’s pillar.

 

Renjun goes on, “I’ve never considered you to be anything less because you’re not a bender, Jaemin. For the longest time, I looked up to you, because when the Spirits decided to take away from your bending abilities, they gave a huge heart and a quick brain in return. And they gave me a great friend. I can never thank them enough.”

 

Jaemin’s body warms at this, and his tears spill too before he can stop them.

 

If any of the others hear their tearful blubbering, they keep it between themselves and the stars.

 

 

* * *

 

 

The Master- Well he isn’t anything like what Jaemin expects.

 

He expects a tall, towering Elder in his mid fifties, well aged, imposing and stoic, with hair in a severe topknot, perhaps a well-trimmed beard, and probably with skin tanned from the harsh Fire Nation sun.

 

What he gets is a man in his thirties who is slightly shorter than him, far more jovial than his expectations, and enjoys getting a rise out of his own butler.

 

When he presents himself and tells the Master he has nothing to offer but a lot to learn, what he gets in response is “Oh. That’s fresh. Jonghoon-hyung, I like this one, show him to his quarters, we’ll begin rock gardening after lunch.”

 

Jonghoon, the very disgruntled and abused butler, had shown him around the castle and left him to settle down for the rest of the morning. Jaemin had been nervous at first when Jonghoon fetched him to sit at the table with the Swordsmaster- Yes, he was good with people, and he knew out of their little group he and Donghyuck are the most adept at (civil, normal, rational) conversation, but he honestly doesn’t know what to expect with a Master of Hyukjae's caliber.

 

He eventually relaxes when said Master actually spent the entire meal happily asking about Jaemin’s likes and dislikes, his love life and friends, his favourite animal, all while throwing chili peppers and round mushrooms from his meal into faraway vases to rile the butler up. Judging from how Jonghoon's expression barely changes, Jaemin hazards a guess that it was a usual occurrence. (It is, he learns)

 

Hyukjae leads Jaemin to the rock garden _skipping_.

 

Hyukjae jovially tells Jaemin to make himself comfortable in the garden, explaining that good warriors need to make good use of and manipulate their surroundings to fit them. He had then proceeded to encourage Jaemin to mess up his rock garden. By the time Jaemin completes his own little rest spot with a few large boulders, he looks around to see that the Master had gone around to pile up all the other untouched rocks into a giant mossy rock tower. Their combined enthusiastic efforts had left clumps of unearthed soil sitting around the once well-manicured garden.

 

At the edge of his vision he can see Jonghoon hyperventilating.

 

Jaemin thinks back on all the Masters he’s met and wonders if there’s even one that’s slightly more normal.

 

(Donghyuck would have said normal was overrated, and Mark would have snorted and both of them would have gotten a swat from Renjun and a laugh from Jeno; Jaemin misses them _so much_. He’s so used to having them around, having Chenle cling to his shoulder that when Hyukjae shows him an incredible waterfall and asks him to draw it, he twists back to see Chenle’s face- Just to see Jonghoon looking peeved holding a basket of steamed buns shaped like koala sheep.

 

The buns were great though in case anyone was wondering.)

 

Hyukjae is a good teacher, a lot better than he’d given him credit for, within the first day, he had accurately judged that Jaemin had experience handling a spear, but with his head far quicker than his arms, such a weapon would prove to be unwieldy for him- Which, Jaemin admits, is entirely correct.

 

“You need a weapon that you would be able to maneuver as quickly as your head,” the Master observes, “Well, good thing Woonie is good at the Jian sword style, so you’ll have to get used to being his punching bag until you get the hang of it!”

 

Jonghoon is better than good, Jaemin thinks after his sword clatters to the ground after his first round of beating, so good that Jaemin can only hope to be half as adept. Jaemin wonders just how powerless he would be if Master Hyukjae has him at sword point. Jonghoon doesn’t hold back at all, and judging by his expression he is on the verge of throwing his weapon at Hyukjae whenever he boos Jonghoon.

 

Throughout the duels, Jaemin catches Jonghoon mumbling about demonic anchovies under his breath and can't help but worry for the attendant's mental state. Rather than praying to the Spirits for help facing Jonghoon, he finds himself asking for them to bless Jonghoon’s patience and blood pressure.

 

Jonghoon’s style of fighting is somewhat aggressive, perhaps spurred on by Hyukjae’s sideline commentary, so Jaemin learns to adapt, as he’s always done- he resolves to watching and absorbing the moves, and rolling and parrying until the duel ends with a bamboo sword at his chest or at his neck.

 

Jaemin doesn’t think his body ached this much before (he desperately wants Jeno to soothe it), but he picks himself up again and again, ignores the cuts on his arm, the scrapes and bruises, rises time and time again when he thinks of Jeno, of Renjun, of a limp Chenle after the Fall of Ba Sing Se and Donghyuk’s tears, of Mark shielding him time and time again and of Jisung’s conviction.

 

If he gives up now, listens to his aching bones and muscles he’ll never be able to protect them, he’ll never gain the strength to stand next to them.

 

So he stands up. Again.

 

His sword clatters to the ground with a flick of Jonghoon’s wrist, he rolls over and picks it up, wincing when his back hits the hard pebbled ground. He remembers being swallowed up by liquid ground with a flick of General Shin's wrist. He remember's Renjun's expression of horror and Chenle's tearful face as he went down, he sure as hell remembers the carnage that followed when Chenle's emotions pushed him into the State.

 

He couldn't protect them. He couldn't defend himself.

 

Again.

 

Jaemin rises to meet Jonghoon’s eyes from behind the sparring helmet he’s wearing, barely missing the pleased smiles on the two elder’s faces. He remembers Taeyong's broken expression as they cradle the mortal form of the Moon Spirit, how Jaemin tried to stop Jeno from sacrificing himself, Jeno wading into the Spirit Oasis, how helpless he felt when he watched Jeno's trade bleach his hair from jet black to stark white.

 

He can't go through that again. He can't lose any of them. He needs to be quicker. Faster. Stronger.

 

Again.

 

He gets up again. 

 

* * *

 

  

“What do you think of Master Hyukjae, hyung?” Jaemin asks Jonghoon one of the nights they are out for extra practice.

 

Jonghoon turns to him and raises a questioning brow. 

 

“Well he’s a brat for sure. He’s annoying, and full of himself, but that confidence isn’t unfounded.”

 

There’s a fond smile on the older man’s lips “He’s a child, the better fighter of us two, but he needs someone to take care of everything that isn’t fighting…  Someone has to keep him out of trouble, somehow that’s always been me, just my luck, eh?”

  

Jaemin keeps his eyes on the moon, the moon reminds him of Jeno, it’s a comfort these nights when he’s not curled up with him.

 

“Hyung,” he starts, finally words the question that's been haunting the edges of his tongue for weeks, “Why do you think he took me in?” 

 

There's a smile in Jonghoon's voice “Who knows what that anchovy is thinking?”

 

Jaemin groans at this response, he exhaustedly flops to the ground.

 

He still can’t comprehend the Master’s line of thought, he can’t fathom how anyone would let a stranger into his house and teach him how to fight, and he seriously doubts it’s because he was _fresh_. The Master doesn’t seem to be trying to humiliate him, if he did, he would have sent him out of the door by the second day with a sneer on his face.

 

Jaemin has nothing to offer, absolutely nothing, he’d stated from the start that he wouldn’t be able to afford his tutelage or offer Hyukjae anything he’d find of value. Did the Master really accept him out of the kindness of his own heart? Do people like that still exist nowadays?

 

He’s aware of Jonghoon chuckling (evilly) above his head as he rakes at his scalp, frustrated from _not knowing_.

 

The Master is a complete enigma to him, and Jonghoon wasn’t any better, he doesn’t understand: he knows Jonghoon and Hyukjae's bond stretches way beyond master and butler, the two of them have a friendship that would easily last a lifetime, but with Jonghoon’s amount of skill he could’ve easily left the mansion and gotten a high rank in the military, or followed Hyukjae's path as an instructor, why would he stay here? And why was he the only staff within the walls of the castle? Why was he willing to labour the rest of his life away?

 

He voices this to Jonghoon, who softens, “I’ve been with him for as long as I remember: When we learnt the art of the sword together, when we served in the military, when we deserted… We’ve been through so much, it just makes sense to stay together.”

 

“But why?”

 

Jaemin decided to support Renjun to follow Chenle initially to protect Renjun, and because of the hope Chenle gave them, because of how dark their future would be if the Avatar failed the world once more. Hyukjae and Jonghoon weren’t near that level of desperation, they were far from that, with their skill, they would have ranked high, they could have had a life of glory! Why would they give that all up? And why would they stay together, if the memories within the military made them desert and leave?

 

Jaemin is careful with his next words, “I’m travelling with a group of friends, we’re all tied together by a dream, a mission, by the same goal. These days, when I see the Master and you, I wonder how our life will be when the journey is over, if we actually succeed.” 

 

“How do you find the motivation to stay with each other? If you don’t have a common goal anymore?”

 

"Aha." Jonghoon makes a contemplative noise as he drums his fingers against his chin.

 

“Life isn’t all about adventure, Jaemin. When you grow older, you’ll realise that the journey isn’t all that keeps you together, it’s what connects you at first. But if you find even one reason to stay, you’ll always come back. Because it's home.”

 

The image of Dream, all their smiling faces float behind Jaemin’s lids when he closes them to contemplate the weight of Jonghoon’s words.

 

Home.

 

Since when did his home change from woven tents and icy tundras to an Air Bison and a bunch of (really wild) kids his age? Since Chenle smiled at him, bright and wide when Jaemin came to fetch him from the Coast Guard? Since Mark cut him out of the binds that the Kangta Warriors held him in? Or did this all begin when he decided to toddle up to Renjun the day he lost his mother and wrap him in the biggest hug he's given anyone?

 

It doesn't matter, when it began or how it all became, long ago or not Jaemin has long decided to fight for Chenle or die trying. He'll defend every one of them to his last breath. Jaemin isn't an impulsive or emotional person, neither is he sadistic nor apathetic, he knows the value of life, and he knows the consequences of taking one, but he would stain his hands red, red and red again if that's what it takes to guard them, keep them safe.

 

He'll protect his home.

 

Jaemin takes a deep breath and opens his eyes.

 

Mind sharpened, he kicks the sword up from the gritty ground and stands, stretching and dropping into his stance. Jonghoon simply eyes him and mirrors his movement.

 

“ _Again_."

 

 

* * *

 

 

The first time Jaemin manages to win a duel, Jonghoon makes them seaweed stew for dinner.

 

Jaemin is surprised that there would be a dish so similar to Water Tribe cuisine, but he wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth, and he definitely wasn’t going to reveal his nationality by thanking Jonghoon. He suppresses the wave of nostalgia as he digs into the meal that reminds him so much of his own parents, so much of home.

 

Hyukjae's loud cheers and Jonghoon’s small smile of approval makes everything even better.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Jaemin spends most of his mornings ‘expressing himself’ on a piece of paper. He’s getting better at calligraphy, he's improving so much in both writing and drawing he actually thinks he’ll be able to draw a Kun poster well if they ever need it- Fire and Brimstone, he hopes they never do though.

  

Hyukjae slides in one fine day in the middle of getting dressed with Jonghoon holding a part of his robes hot on his heels, and declares that it was time Jaemin made his own sword.

 

Jaemin is so excited that he nearly topples the ink dish and the table over when he stands and asks if he could procure the material of the sword by his own means.

 

He leaves the castle for the first time in a month to recruit the rest of the group into moving the meteor to the forgery.

 

He gets the wind knocked out of him when Chenle barrels him over in his enthusiasm to see him, he’s not even that annoyed when Chenle gasps and yells “Jaemin-hyung! You got burnt!” straight into his ear mid-tackle. He’s left wheezing on the ground as all of them, even Kun, leap on top of him in a big puppy pile.

 

Jonghoon’s words of finding his way back home echo in his ears when he meets Jeno’s eyes, as he ruffles Chenle’s hair fondly and squishes Jisung’s cheeks. Part of him is secretly glad that they missed him as much as he missed them.

 

All of them are more than happy to help move the giant rock, but Jisung insists that he should camouflage himself and stays hidden, moving within the nearby shrubbery as Chenle and Donghyuck Earthbends the meteor to the Master’s door. Chenle thinks he’s really cute. Renjun and Mark think he’s super impractical. Jaemin thinks it’s both. He tries to coo in a baby voice and cuddle Jisung until Jisung runs off in terror. Jaemin is only slightly dejected, he finds comfort in Jeno’s warm backhug instead.

 

It’s not until they roll the meteor right in front of Hyukjae's front gate that he realises they’ve basically dug a trench all the way from the crater to Hyukjae's door, and it's confirmed when Jonghoon staggers to the back-shed to find a shovel, a rake, anything, to _fix the broken path oh my Spirits_.

 

At least his Master admires the effort and creativity, so there’s that.

 

Hyukjae allows the rest of them to stay within his castle for the time being (“Ah, young blood, they make me feel youthful, Jonghoon-hyung.”) Jaemin just shoots them a nervous glance and gets to the forge to start working on his own sword, he spends the rest of the day in the fiery forge shovelling coal into the furnace while the rest of his gang loiters around the castle.

 

Jonghoon helps him a lot by helping him sledge hammer the meteorite into smaller chunks, and showing him how to chisel for more, he then leaves here and there to bring him food and water, and to serve meals the rest of them. Jaemin is infinitely grateful for Jonghoon’s single-handed efforts to keep him alive and hydrated even in the smoky chambers of the forge. He barely has anything left in him to hope that Chenle doesn’t cause necessary damage to the Master’s Castle as he diligently works the bellows.

 

His senses are sharper now, Jaemin realises, because even when he's spent working in the forge he’s hyperaware of them peeking around corners and hovering about from afar, he's also acutely aware of Chenle and Donghyuck’s Koala Sheep Bun Tossing Competition into a certain bush that also seems to shake in laughter whenever they cackle. He hopes that Jisung can stay discrete and hidden for however long making his sword will take.

 

Some point during the night, Jaemin startles from his doze when Hyukjae comes walking in.

 

The Master waves off his small bow and walks closer to check Jaemin’s progress. He prepares to move when he sees that the coal is running low when a calloused hand grips his shovel instead. Hyukjae gestures for him to sit and rest as he feeds coal into the furnace with a practiced ease that Jaemin is jealous of. He blames his aching back, mostly.

 

“I hear you asked about me. And why I took you in.” Hyukjae begins with a smile, his eyes on the burning coals as he stokes the flames.

 

Jaemin swallows the curses to the back of his throat, he’d trusted Jonghoon not to tell, and yet-

 

Hyukjae laughs, full and whole-hearted, “Relax, relax! I’m not reprimanding you, I would be wondering as well if I were in your place.”

 

“Well it wasn’t your skills that impressed me, definitely,” Jaemin winces when he remembers how clumsy on his feet he had been in the first few days of training, “And you’ve long confessed that you have no riches to offer, not that I need any, I can afford to live comfortably for the rest of my life.”

 

Hyukjae places a hand on Jaemin’s shoulder, Jaemin can feel the almost scorching heat of his palms “I saw something beyond that: Creativity, versatility, intelligence ... these are the traits that define a great Swordsman.”

 

“I saw that you could be taught, I saw a young man who would be able to make the fullest use of my tutelage. Call me selfish, Jaemin, I want the arts I’ve mastered to be passed down, and I thought you would be a worthy Master.”

 

Jaemin just stares at Hyukjae, lips parted.

 

“You’re a fine young warrior, Jaemin, and I’m glad you’re fighting for our cause.”

 

Hyukjae's words sink in and shame wells up in him, despite Jaemin knowing that he’s deceiving him to fight for the greater good. For balance. He’s doing this for balance, so why does Jaemin feel so awfully unhinged?

 

“Jaemin, go ahead to bed, I’ll watch oh-“ Jonghoon comes through the door like the saviour he is, and he stops at the sight of Hyukjae in the forges.

 

“Oh Woonie! Bring me tea, I want lemon in mine!”

 

Jonghoon returns with a tea seasoned with so much lemon that Hyukjae sprays the beverage into his face at first taste.

 

Jaemin just listens to them bicker in the background as he endlessly shovels coal into the furnace, guilt building as their words and actions echo in his head.

 

 

* * *

 

 

That same guilt urges him to confess to the Master as his tutelage reaches its end, so when Hyukjae hands him his forged sword and tells him with pride that he’s one of the most worthy students he’s ever taught, Hyukjae’s earnestly happy expression has him spilling the truth in front of his astonished members against all voice of reason.

 

Hyukjae gives him a lukewarm, “I see” as a response before lashing out with his blade against Jaemin.

 

Mark shouts in alarm before the rest of Dream jump up, alert and ready to fight, a nearby bush rustles threateningly.

 

Jaemin manages to roll and dodge the first strike, and he immediately holds up a hand to stop them. He ignores the twinge in his chest when catches Jeno’s worried gaze, he shakes his head and they stand down reluctantly.

 

He’s so thankful to Hyukjae and Jonghoon, they’ve taught him so much, and treated him like a younger brother, like a son, as opposed to a mere student, he can’t possibly repay them with a half hearted fight where his friends deal all the blows.

 

This is his fight and his fight alone.

 

Doesn't mean he isn’t scared witless though.

 

Their fight, to him, is a blur- It was mainly Hyukjae attacking and Jaemin desperately scurrying about, hoping he was too fast for the blade to hit.

 

Hyukjae, ever the Master, throws compliments here and there when he sees good ideas or good technique, but Jaemin is so terrified at the prospect of this man- who’d defeated hundreds of Fire Nation soldiers at once in order to gain his freedom- running after him at full force with a blade he wielded as well as an extension of his arm to actually take the commentary to mind.

 

In an ill-advised move, he slashes at his Master, who catches Jaemin’s blade with his own and pushes his sword into two large arcs, ripping the newly forged meteor sword out of his hands. And with that, Jaemin’s sword clatters to the ground and he’s defenceless.

 

Hyukjae skilfully trips him up with a sidestep and before Jaemin knows it, he’s on the ground, sprawled at Master Hyukjae's feet, with the tip of the Master’s blade pointed at him, ready to strike.

 

Jaemin can see that behind Hyukjae his friends are running towards them: Jeno is twirling his spear and Renjun is pulling out water from his water skins, Donghyuk and Chenle are slipping into their fighting stances and Mark's brandishing his fans as he crouches into a lunge.

 

All of them were ready to reveal their identities to defend him.

 

Protests rise up against his lips but before he can voice them the Master gives a laugh and moves his sword away. With a smooth practiced movement, he twirls his blade about his hand and holds the sword behind his back, in a position of truce.

 

“Well done, Jaemin! Excellent work!”

 

Jaemin blinks in confusion when his Master grins at him and extends a hand to hoist him up from the ground.

 

Hyukjae then gives Jonghoon a signal, who rolls his eyes and mutters under his breath about how the other was such a drama queen, but he dutifully throws the scabbard at the Master. Hyukjae raises his blade for the blade to slot perfectly into the scabbard in a fancy practiced move.

 

Jaemin’s shoulders drop when he realises he wasn’t going to die today.

 

“I think I’m a bit too old to be fighting the Avatar.”

 

Hyukjae turns to the rest of Dream, and they loosen their stances in surprise. They turn to look at each other in astonishment.

 

Chenle’s face relaxes from his expression of concentration and he blinks, before his face morphs into fascination.

 

“How did you know?!”

 

Hyukjae chuckles at how star-struck Chenle sounds, he snatches the hot towel that Jonghoon throws at his face out of the air with ease with his eyes still closed from the mud Jaemin flicked into his eyes earlier, “Oh, I’ve been around for a while, and you hear things here and there,” he says vaguely.

 

Hyukjae wipes the dirt off his face and tosses the towel on top of Jonghoon’s head, who fails to dodge and visibly fumes under the soiled towel. Hyukjae's grin stretches wider.

 

“Of course I knew from the beginning that Jaemin is Water Tribe, it’s the way he moves, Water Tribe people have softer features, their transitions are smoother from attack to defence. Fire Nation people are more chiseled, we move with more deliberation. It comes with the culture and the bending art itself. Disguise is not an easy art to master, I'm surprised you all kept up the facade long enough to journey into the centre of the Fire Nation.”

  

He turns to fix his gaze on Mark, "A Kangta Warrior, eh? You lot are rather rare to see outside of your island, you're peace seekers after all... But boy, your reflexes and agility earlier shows talent and training well beyond your years, I am very impressed."

 

Mark looks stunned at being complimented, but Hyukjae barely stops before he raises his voice so it carries across the sword fighting ring, into the surrounding bushes, “As for Young Prince Jisung, you need to work on your stealth if you're to stay undetected in those bushes, perhaps extra training with you is in order.”

 

The bush flinches, and there was a sheepish rustle as Jisung emerges from the leafy branches. He had been wondering how their youngest had managed to sneak into the castle, of course, Jaemin reasons, because the Master had always known he was there in the first place, he'd allowed him in.

 

Jisung ambles over and puts his hands forward in the Fire Nation bow of the Fist and the Flame.

 

“Master Hyukjae.” Jisung says in greeting.

 

Hyukjae reaches over- the group tenses again protectively- and flicks Jisung’s forehead.

 

They relax when they see their youngest is just getting his cheeks pinched.

 

“You little brat, I’ve taught you how to use your swords since you were five, and how do you repay me? You send your friend to my tutelage, and hide in a bush instead of greeting your old Master?!”

 

“I didn’t want to bring trouble to your door, Master, I’m a wanted fugitive.” Jisung says ruefully, and Hyukjae just laughs in response, he ruffles Jisung’s hair.

 

“Nonsense! Once my pupil, you’ll always be my pupil. Wanted or not, Fire Nation or not, anyone who accidentally sets fire to Jonghoon-hyung’s hair is always welcome at my door!”

 

Jonghoon makes an indignant noise. Jisung gives him a shy smile; he nods a greeting to the very stressed butler, who returns with a stare equal parts fond and miffed. Jisung laughs awkwardly and ruffles his own hair in embarrassment.

 

Hyukjae's gaze softens as he looks at his pupil, “I see you’re finally at ease with yourself, young Prince, I’m glad. You all seem like good companions, good people to have in a fight. I’m glad you’re the ones to guide my wayward young pupil.”

 

Their group flushes with the praise, and Jisung fidgets under the extra attention.

 

“But Master,” Donghyuck speaks up, “You said you knew Jaemin was Water Tribe, why would you agree to teach him then?”

 

Hyukjae draws himself to his full height (which is still not very tall, mind you) and barely hesitates, “The way of the sword does not belong to any one nation. Knowledge of the arts belongs to us all.”

 

“Jaemin,” Hyukjae turns to him, “You need to continue your training on your own. You can seek Jisung out to duel, but you two must not try to mix each other’s styles. It will do you more harm than good."

 

“If you practice, with your brilliant mind, I’m sure you’ll end up being a greater swordsman than I.”

 

Jonghoon mumbles, “You spend most of your days trying to catch me out in pranks and planting bamboo, at this rate he’s going he’s going to be better than you in a year, you absolute demon.”

 

Hyukjae gives him a leer, “Oh Woonie-hyung, you see, I've been called a demon anchovy by you so frequently that I've taken the liberty to sage the castle, starting from your quarters-”

 

As if magically on cue a plume of smoke started to rise in the distance where the rooms were. The attendant pales and gives a horrified shriek and runs to keep the castle from burning down.

 

Jaemin would be hard pressed believe that the man laughing manically in front of him was a revered Master if he hadn’t proven it just now by effortlessly beating him into the dust.

 

At the rate this is going, it won’t be a year before Jonghoon’s hair turns completely grey or he loses all his hair from stress. It’s a miracle he hasn’t already, really. Jaemin should ask Jonghoon his secrets of looking youthful. For science. He needs to brush up his game after all, he’s dating half a Moon Spirit.

 

“I wish you well, Jaemin, Jisung, Avatar and friends.” Hyukjae addresses all of them, “You must get going on your journey. May the Spirits be with you.”

 

They exchange bows with Hyukjae and trudge their way towards the gate, just as the gates close, they hear Hyukjae call, “Catch!”

 

On reflex, Jisung and Jaemin turn to the command.

 

A small dark red velvet bag comes hurling through the gap in the gate just as it closes, and Jeno manages to snag it before it drops onto the dirt. They huddle together, curious at the bag and its contents.

 

“What is it? Oh? There’s a slip of paper- _Something to remember me by-_ Is that a drawing of a thumbs up?”

 

Jeno inspects the paper for anything more, but comes up blank. He then shrugs and upturns the small bag for a single round tile to land on his palm.

 

“It’s a Pai Sho tile.” Jisung speaks up, “The White Lotus.”

 

For what seems like the millionth time these days, Jaemin is confused.

 

“Why would he want an incomplete Pai Sho set?”

 

They look back at the red gates to see the insignia of a White Lotus surrounding the Fire Nation symbol carved into the gates.

 

Jaemin can’t help but feel like there was something more, something he missed, knowing his Master’s nature there definitely was.

 

He dismisses it for now, they need to get moving.

 

“Let’s go back, I miss Kun.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hyukjae (SJ Eunhyuk) is Piandao  
> Jonghoon/Woonie (SJ Yesung) is Fat (it's the character name no flame pls go check)  
> Woonie comes from his actual name Jongwoon, I thought the nickname was cute and just went with it without much thought  
> Yukhei is Jet  
> And the Earth Kingdom General Shin mentioned is Shindong
> 
> They're barely mentioned here but  
> Junmyeon (EXO Suho) is Longfeng (Sehun is the Earth King, this was mentioned before in Crossroads)
> 
> Taemin's squad is his actual squad lol  
> Jimin (BTS) is Ty Lee  
> Jongin (EXO Kai) is Mai  
> (No, neither of them strike up a romance with Jisung, but they treat him as a younger brother since they all grew up in the palace)
> 
> I altered the character dynamics between Eunhyuk and Yesung and tried to blur the lines of butler, assistant, friend and companion, because in a way that mirrors Jaemin's camaraderie with the rest of Dream.
> 
> Hope you guys liked it? I wanted Renjun to have a resolution to Yukhei's betrayal, because we never got one with Katara and Jet. It was never explicitly confirmed in the show that he's dead but the producers of the show say he is, so I'm going along with that.
> 
> I think first love is quite complex, it entails so much trust and at the same time, fantasy, so when Renjun's expectations fall through and it turns out Yukhei was just using him, I imagine he would harbour a lot of hurt and frustration that he still has feelings for him. As a fan Jet was such an interesting character and I was so disappointed that the show didn't flesh out more on Katara's emotions towards him (it's a kid's show I geddit), so I made my own resolution through Renjun, small as it is.
> 
> Hope you guys liked it! Thank you so, so much for reading this far!
> 
> Please do leave a comment and let me know what you think!


	6. Your Smile is Brighter than the Sun (Mark and Haechan)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark’s life was largely made of routines and normalcy
> 
> Happiness used to be the small things: a warm meal after training, a fond ruffle of his hair from other Warriors, a smile and “Good work today” from Minseok after he puts in extra effort.
> 
> Mark doesn’t know when all that was replaced by honey-toned skin, round eyes, full lips and a cheeky smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> nuuuuuuuu I missed Hyuck's bday whatdoido
> 
> pls take my humble offering of soft markhyuck instead <3333

 

For someone so adventurous, Donghyuck surprisingly deals horribly in any element that isn’t his own.

 

It’s probably why he was so unreasonably crabby when he first joined their team, Mark muses, because other than when he was teaching Chenle Earthbending he was completely out of his element- he’d never been allowed to travel in his life, he’d never been forced to flee from anything, never had to suffer through what it meant to be in a war.

 

Life on the run would put anyone into anxiety, especially Donghyuck, who had literally been born with a golden spoon in his mouth. Into riches.

 

So Mark cuts him a lot of slack, just like he had when Jeno joined, because he knows this sort of life would be hard to adjust for anyone, not only the rich and royal.

 

He tells himself it's the message from the Swamp, the vision that he'd seen of Donghyuck, doubled over laughing accompanied by a flying lion. He was absolutely positive that the vision from the all knowing Swamp must definitely mean something, and it proved Donghyuck's irrevocable place in their group, the pivot that would save the world.

 

He tells himself it’s not because of Donghyuck’s round, starry eyes, not because of the way his heart palpitates when Donghyuck smiles, not because of the way the sun seems to dim when he laughs.

 

Minseok had always called him adorably oblivious, so it takes him until Donghyuck is left lifeless in the Desert by the Sandbenders that he realises what the pounding in his chest means.

 

 

* * *

 

 

**Air**

Donghyuck hates flying, as any self-respecting Earthbender would, he tells Mark.

 

The night he runs away with them is the first time Donghyuck flies, and no amount of unease can prepare him for the sheer panic in Donghyuck’s eyes when Kun flaps his tail and takes off into the air.

 

It was there and then Mark decided that fear was not a good look on Donghyuck. He reaches out to curl his hands around Donghyuck’s trembling fingers, and squeezes reassuringly.

 

Donghyuck's hands are around the same size as his, Mark laments his proportionately small hand size briefly, but Donghyuck's are shorter, and definitely softer and smoother than his. Mark's hands were bony, practically skin on bones, and palms and pads of his fingers calloused from years upon years of diligent training. Donghyuck's hands were hands of a painter, a writer, a musician, but far from a warrior.

 

Colour thankfully starts to find its way back onto Donghyuck’s face, and the younger grips back.

 

The draft that night was too much for a first time flyer, and Mark can literally feel the fast beating of Donghyuck’s pulse through the clasp of their hands.

 

Mark, after contemplation and overthinking, decides to follow his instincts (Jeno is so much better than him at this, but he’s asleep and exhausted), he crawls closer to Donghyuck in the saddle, and pulls the shaking younger into his arms.

 

Some point in the night, Donghyuck stops trembling. Some point in the night, the two of them are knackered enough that they fall asleep. And some point before the morning breaks, Mark wakes up to find Donghyuck’s limbs entangled with his. He remains lucid enough to pull a blanket over them both before dozing off once more.

 

Some point in time, Donghyuck finds it in him to tug at Mark quietly and say a sincere thank you. Mark smiles as lazy rays of the morning sun peak through the clouds behind Donghyuck, crowning him in a halo of light. Mark can feel warmth seeping from his heart to his fingertips all the way to his toes.

 

From then on, Mark dutifully holds Donghyuck's hand tight whenever they take flight.

 

* * *

 

**Water**

Mark finds that Donghyuck doesn’t like water, or boats. Now, Mark grew up on an island next to the sea, so understandably he doesn’t share Donghyuck’s skepticism towards the big blue.

 

After losing Kun in the desert, they’re forced to take a ferry into Ba Sing Se or cross the Serpent’s Pass, Donghyuck had vehemently denied the possibility of him going onto a wooden ‘raft’ in open waters, much preferring and advocating that they take the narrow foreboding strip of land.

 

Thing about Donghyuck is that he can be awfully convincing when he needs to be, so the entire group had conceded and settled for the trek.

 

Turns out the Serpent’s Pass, owing to its namesake, is avoided for a really good reason.

 

When Renjun and Chenle’s water bubble fails, Donghyuck immediately raises a small island and stubbornly tries to stay there until the serpent almost flattens him. The ‘scaly fatass’ must have really disliked him, because with a flick of its tail it sends Donghyuck tumbling into the churning waves and flailing to survive.

 

Mark had, without a second thought jumped into the churning waves, sea monster and potential predators be damned, after him and hauled him to safety, heart pummeling in his throat.

  

Donghyuck had continued to cling to him even when they reached the shore, and he hadn’t let go even when Renjun forced the both of them to get out of their sopping clothes.

 

By the time Donghyuck recovered from the scare, the blue was calm again, sunlight dancing on gentle waves. Donghyuck had shyly planted a kiss on Mark’s cheek and Mark had stilled in shock, Donghyuck looked dazzling then, hair wet and tousled and the glittering sea behind him. He had thought his heart would burst out of his chest, he just wasn’t sure then whether it was from fear or exhilaration.

  

He starts holding and receiving kisses from Donghyuck often after that. The mood of the group lifts even with Kun still missing.

 

("About time hyung! I could Airslice the tension between you and Haechan-hyung!"

 

Mark had thrown his head back and laughed and laughed from Chenle's response for the first time in weeks, and judging from Jaemin and Jeno's matching grins and Jeno snaking his hands over to tickle the young Avatar, their group dynamics were on their way back to normalcy.

 

Renjun had snorted and given Mark a friendly punch to the gut for all his troubles. Mark knows Renjun would rather be eaten by the Serpent than admit that he’s incredibly happy for them. All of them are.)

 

They've a long ways to go before Chenle masters the elements and defeats the Fire Lord to restores peace and balance, but as long as Donghyuck is there to look at him with stars in his eyes, Mark thinks they’ll be okay.

 

.

 

(He still gets nightmares where he doesn’t get to him on time and Donghyuck drowns just beyond his reach. All too often he bolts up from his sleep, heart racing, head pounding and breath coming in short gasps.

 

Every time, however, he feels Donghyuck shifting next to him and mumbling his name in his sleep. The younger then always reaches over to nuzzle himself into Mark's embrace, and Mark's breathing slows, because they're safe, and Donghyuck is alive.

 

His heart rate doesn't slow though, and it always takes Mark a while before he calms enough to fall asleep, Donghyuck's weight warm on his chest.)

  

 

* * *

**Fire**

The fear of Fire is kind of a group trauma at this point, even though Donghyuck (thankfully) came across less Evil Fire Nation Deeds than they have, discomfort with the heat makes sense, because any basic human being wouldn’t be having the time of their lives basking in the lick of flames anytime soon.

 

So when Donghyuck is visibly shaken at the burning earth when the Firebenders go ham on the day of Junsu’s Comet, Mark really doesn’t blame him.

 

The sky is a blood red, lit on fire by the Comet as the literal ball of fire streaks a blazing path across the horizon, putting even their sun to shame with its aggressive heat. Mark muses that even the sky is bleeding for the world as Firebenders stand on platforms in the lower belly of airships and unleash blasts after blast of flames. Mark can just barely hear the cackles and jeers from the brigade below.

 

He stands guard protectively over Donghyuck as the younger looks on in horror at the events unfolding from the broken window of their hijacked airship. Jeno and Jaemin are both fiddling with the controls of the airship, currently squabbling over whether to basically release every single lever or just resort to smashing the control panel to see what happens.

 

Mark secretly agrees with the smashing strategy, but he honestly doesn't want to get into an argument with Jeno.

 

“Hyuck, can you steer the ship while Jeno is on lookout?” Jaemin turns to the both of them.

 

Mark sees Donghyuck visibly get a grip on himself and nod, Jaemin grins briefly and says, “Great, I have an announcement to make.”

 

One fake birthday announcement and pulling a conveniently labeled hatch later, they were one crew less of the Fire Nation fleet. Mark marvels at how Jaemin’s brain works and silently thanks the Spirits that his smarts weren’t used for evil instead.

 

(Mark secretly knows if he were a soldier on this fleet he would have fallen for that announcement, 100%, and gone to the loading bay jubilant at the idea of cake, not that he'd let anyone in Dream know, they tease him enough as it is)

 

A few more beeps and calculated presses of buttons, Mark feels their Airship accelerate and pull away from the neat formation from the others.

 

“We’ll need to go full speed to catch up to Fire Lord Changmin’s airship,” Jaemin says, the mask of a serious tactician over his usually upbeat demeanor, “We still don’t know where Chenle is, but we’ll need to stall for as long as we can before he gets here.”

 

Mark is silent as this sinks in. They potentially would need to face the strongest Firebender in the nation, and in the worst case scenario, if Chenle has vanished and doesn't return (Spirits Mark hopes not), it's up to them to take him down. Four on _one_. A very very powerful _one_.

 

Jaemin fixes Mark with a look and Mark knows what Jaemin needs to hear, “We can do this.” Mark says, he hopes he sounds more confident than he’s feeling, “We’ll face Changmin if we have to. We’ll be right there when Chenle needs it.”

 

Right on cue, the Phoenix King's airship in front of the fleet suddenly explodes.

 

All four of them scramble to the window for a closer look. The largest airship was decelerating and losing altitude fast, whatever had gotten it got it in the motors, and from the groan of the metal and the dozens of soldiers jumping ship, it was no little damage.

 

Jeno peers through a pair of binoculars he retrieved from the starboard while Mark tries to make out what’s going on beyond the smoke, eyes narrowed in concentration.

 

“What’s happening?” Donghyuck’s eyes are wide in fear and curiosity, Jeno gives a happy hoot, “It’s Chenle! With Winwin! He’s back!”

 

Jaemin snatches the binoculars from Jeno, and he, too, gives a shout of joy.

 

Mark exchanges smiles with Donghyuck, who’s beaming with pride.

 

Their Baby Dolphin is back, alive and ready to kick Fire Lord Ass- that’s half their job done at least.

 

“Well, it’s up to us to do something about the Airships then,” Mark hates to spoil the celebratory atmosphere but Jaemin gives him a quick nod, gaze focusing on all the airships behind them.

 

“How are we going to do it?” Donghyuck seems to have regained his composure and confidence, and Jaemin’s face lights up in a maniacal grin as he drums his fingers together.

 

_“Airship Slice!”_

 

He toggles with the controls on the starboard, and manages to twist the wheel so the airship turns perpendicular to the rest of the fleet.

 

“Once I pull the hatch down, we’re taking a dive, and we’ll crash into all the other ships in a horizontal line. It’s going to be a really rough ride, so the moment I pull it, we’re running up to the top of the blimp, got it?” Jaemin meets every single one of their eyes and Mark has to consciously stop himself from gulping at the intensity of his gaze.

 

He shakes himself out of it, he needs to lead, and Jaemin is waiting for his response.

 

Mark nods, “Great, watch each other’s backs, improvise if we get separated. Our goal is to destroy all the airships so the Fire Lord can’t get backup. Leave a single functioning blimp if you can, if Chenle needs us it’s the fastest way to go the distance.”

 

He glances out the window in the far distance, he can see two figures darting about, blooms of flames and blots of lightning hitting pillars of rocks and blasts of air blowing the fire back. He recognise the smaller figure by the way Chenle moves, and says a quick prayer to the Spirits to keep Chenle safe and sound.

 

If Chenle can't manage to best the Fire Lord, he just needs Chenle to hold on until they get there. With Chenle on their side, they can take him, five on one.

 

“Okay!!” They all chorus, their hands meet in the middle and they cheer their group chant.

 

This won’t be the last time Mark is leading it, won’t be the last time he’s hearing it, he’ll make sure of it.

 

Sure enough to Jaemin’s words, the ship starts to dip and plows unceremoniously into another as they climb to the top of the ship, the floor under them crumples from the impact and Mark, who was taking up the rear, manages to leap and grab the ladder right as the floor fell away.

 

“Hyung!”

 

Jeno and Jaemin are looking back worriedly and Mark gives them a tight smile, “Still alive, Hyuck, how’s the trapdoor?”

 

“Opened.” He says just as he breaks the lock easily.

 

They all climb out and Mark finds Donghyuck’s hands, fingers slipping between fingers into a familiar grip.

 

“The ship is demolishing in the process!” Mark can just hear Jaemin say above the destruction, Jaemin is pulling Jeno along as he runs towards the head of the ship “The front will be the safest! Lightest structure, but sturdiest! Mark-hyung, follow us!”

 

They start running to the front of the airship when suddenly the part of the airship with Jeno and Jaemin still on falls away, Mark looks on in horror as they drift away from Donghyuck and him, his grip on Donghyuck tightens as Donghyuck screams for the other two.

 

Jaemin and Jeno manage to jump nimbly from their piece of falling debris to another airship

 

“Finish the mission!” Mark can just make out Jeno’s voice, “We’ll be fine! Focus on destroying the fleet!”

 

Mark barely has the time to reply when their piece of the airship slams violently into an enemy airship, Donghyuck and Mark jump below and Mark lands on top of Donghyuck, bracing his weight above him carefully not to squash the boy under him and shielding him from the debris.  

 

Donghyuck stretches his palm onto the metal deck and the sheets of metal responds to his bidding, fluidly rising from their plates and wrapping around the two of them to shield them from any impact. Mark squeezes his eyes shut to block out the clanging and the explosions, he moves his palms to cover Donghyuck's ears to protect them from the loud sounds.

 

“Hyung, the rudder…”

 

Mark opens his eyes to see Donghyuck looking at the metal structure in front of them.

 

Mark assesses their situation, the ships around them had been incapacitated, but the ship they currently were on is relatively unscathed, despite being rather banged up by falling ship parts, around half of the fleet were still functional and moving forward.

 

From Donghyuck's little prompt, he knew what to do.

 

Mark reluctantly lets him slip out from under him. The metal shield around them folds back onto the deck as Donghyuck stands up, he manipulates the metal to brace his feet against the side of the ship as he takes definite steps towards the rudder, his hand is a warm anchor on Mark's arm, providing the older with a stabilising grip on the slippery metal deck.

 

Donghyuck grips the sheet of Metal of the rudder and tugs, effort clear in his face. The metal folds itself to his will, he manages to completely Metalbend the rudder, jamming it in a turning position. Their ship spirals and slams nose-first into the abdomen of another ship, further knocking the others into a domino effect.

 

Donghyuck keeps a tight grip on the rudder and Mark keeps a tight grip on Donghyuck, the ship shakes and shudders, and the metal moans under the strain.

 

The trapdoor on their ship opens and a Firebender pops out, giving an indignant shout at seeing them before yelling for reinforcements.

 

The soldier leaps up from the door and fires at the two of them, Donghyuck immediately crouches down and slams his hand against the surface of the airship, a shock wave travels from Donghyuck's hand to the guard's feet, blasting the guard off the airship completely.

 

The reinforcements peek through the trap door to see their comrade sliding off the top of the airship, Mark throws one of his fans, open, towards the first guard, and judging by the gurgle, it must have caught him in the throat, the guard stumbles and drags the next few guard down the side of the blimp with him.

 

Donghyuck tears a piece of metal off the airship surface, and kicks it to slam down on the open trapdoor, successfully drawing a scream of pain from the soldier climbing up the stairs and trapping the rest of the reinforcements underneath.

 

The force Donghyuck put was too great, because their airship tilts and slights, and before Mark or Donghyuck can stop it, they were sliding down the side of the blimp, straight into the Ocean of Fire.

 

Mark grits his teeth when he catches Donghyuck's expression of horror, like hell were they burning now- he grips Donghyuck as tightly as he can, whips his sword out and plants the blade in the side of the vessel to slow their descent, but not by nearly enough.

 

The shooting platform of their ship is right below them, metal planks were built parallel to maximise the number of Firebender soldiers on the frontline to burn the Earth Kingdom. Mark thinks he can use the platforms, but he needs to jump just as the surface of the blimp curves inward at the right moment, or he risks dropping both of them into the Inferno.

 

It's a bet on their lives, and Mark has no choice but to take it.

 

He leaps, using the momentum of their drop to angle the two of them to the closest plank.

 

It takes him half a second for Mark to realise he overshot.

 

Mark screams in pain as his leg lands wrong on the platform, for a moment, the blinding pain shooting up his leg makes his hand release the death grip he had on Donghyuck. The sight of Donghyuck falling just out of reach to the platform however spurs him to move, blots of pain traveling up his leg as he scrambles over and manages to grab hold of his hand at the very last moment.

 

There was a sickening sound as Donghyuck's arm pops out of its socket when Mark stops his momentum and Donghyuck lets out a scream of agony. Mark's heart bleeds as colour drains away from Donghyuck's face, the younger paling from the strain on his already dislocated arm.

 

Mark tries to tug on Donghyuck's arm to pull him up, but the jostle only gets another yelp of pain from Donghyuck. Mark's heart drops when he realises he broke his dominant leg, and he can't muster the strength to pull.

 

“Hang on, Hyuck,” Mark grits out, “I’ll get you up from there somehow-“ He will, _he has to._

 

A threat from both sides emerges when two Firebenders show up on the parallel planks beside them, before they can open fire Mark kicks the dagger in his boot into his free hand, and in a last ditch effort, he throws it at one of the Firebenders, knocking him out, he then reaches for his last fan, and strikes the second soldier in the side of the head with a solid throw, the Firebender crumples into a heap, but conscious and groaning.

 

Now Mark was truly weaponless and defenceless, his leg prevents him from exerting enough force to pull Donghyuck up and he doesn't have the devices to fight, his dominant arm is what’s stopping Donghyuck from incinerating into ashes below.

 

“Hyuck-“ Mark stutters, he sees the Fire soldiers stirring, getting up from their daze, even if they weren’t the chances of him being able to pull Donghyuck up from the plank entirely was too slim, Donghyuck was going to fall either way, and like hell was Mark going to let go.

 

He'd promised himself to take Donghyuck's hand whenever they take off into the air, he's not going to break that promise, ever.

 

Mark knows Jaemin and Jeno are still out there, and he has no doubt the two of them will be able to finish the mission and destroy the fleet, he has to put all his faith in them now, since he’s not going to let Donghyuck fall into the sea of Fire alone.

 

“I- I love you,” Mark continues, he needs to get this out, needs Donghyuck to know this, “I love you so much- I know I don’t say it enough, but I mean every word now… You're the best thing that's happened to me and if this is the end then I’m glad I could fight next to you, I’m so sorry Hyuck, if you never met us you would have-“

 

“Hyung- Mark-hyung- I don’t regret anything.”

 

Donghyuck’s eyes are glimmering with tears, and the pain from his arm shows in his expression, but his gaze is clear as ever, sharp, piercing and sincere.

 

“I’ll never regret meeting you, all of you- It's been less than a year, but it was the best few months of my life- I love you too, Minhyung-ah, thank you, for everything.”

 

Mark’s tears drop onto Donghyuck’s cheeks, he sees from his peripheral vision that a soldier is getting up, he knows Donghyuck sees it too.

 

He never imagined it would end this way when he first started out, but honestly? Going into the Inferno with Donghyuck, hand in hand, really wasn’t the worst way to go.

 

He just wishes they had more time, more time together, more time to travel, to spend, to adventure and explore the world together, to cherish each other. But does he regret it?

 

Never, not in a million years, ever.

 

 Mark’s arm has long gone numb, and he’s sure Donghyuck’s arm is beyond saving by now, but he doesn’t let go.

 

At least his last sight will be of Donghyuck, his own Sun, looking back at him with all the love in the world.

 

_It’s the end._

 

Suddenly their ship wobbles and the neighbouring ship crashes into the belly of their ship.

 

Through the sting of smoke, Mark blinks away the rest of his tears to see that the structure is parked right beneath the plank where they are suspended, and providing a platform from the Flame Ocean.

 

“Hyuck, do you trust me?”

 

Donghyuck smiles, “A million times, yes.”

 

Mark lets go.

 

Donghyuck drops onto the ship under their's, the one that, Mark is thanking his lucky stars and any deity that will listen, against all odds slammed below their ship and gave Donghyuck a platform to a safe landing. 

 

Mark rolls from his position down to join Donghyuck, landing with a wince when he jostles his bad leg.

 

Donghyuck immediately stumbles over to give Mark a hug, sniffling and harshly wiping his tears away before cupping Mark's cheek to search his face.

 

A shout from behind them brings them back to the battle, and they meet the glare of a soldier. Mark stills.

 

What a pair they make, Mark has a broken leg and Donghyuck has a broken arm- he has no weapons left and Donghyuck can barely move without wincing in pain.

 

The Firebender prepares to deal the final blow, Donghyuck crouches down shakily to touch the metal deck, calling his element to meet him but he's moving slow, too slow and Mark can tell he won't be able to bend in time. Mark immediately moves to shield Donghyuck from the blast.

 

It never comes.

 

A streak of blue describes a spear thrown from afar, it jousts the Firebender with deadly aim, sending him away from them, down from the curved surface of the blimp.

 

Mark and Donghyuck look up to see Jaemin and Jeno waving at them from the airship that nudged their landing pad to its position.

 

“We're back, bitches!” Jaemin whoops, arms open and face triumphant.

 

Jaemin and Jeno are standing on top of the last unbroken airship, sprays of sparks fly behind them as the rest of the fleet is crumbling from impact and falling into the ocean of fire below. Jaemin's face is smudged with soot, his hair is singed by fire and Jeno's arms are bruised and scratched, he's missing his torso piece and the armour on his left leg is in tatters. His spear, a gift from Doyoung who had carved it and forged it as a farewell gift, is missing- he'd thrown it to save Mark and Donghyuck- but the widest grin made itself home on his face, and Mark's lips pull back automatically at Jeno's infectious smile.

 

They were far from fine, but this might just be the most glorious moment Mark ever had the luck to witness (Yes, even above Chenle's merge with the Ocean Spirit).

 

Donghyuck gives a laugh of delight, Mark can feel his arm snaking around his waist in a secure hold, he shares a look of relief with Donghyuck before Jaemin yells at them to stop flexing. Jeno's laughing face is the best thing Mark has ever seen next to Donghyuck's.

 

Jeno jumps down from the sails from where Jaemin is perched and helps the two of them up their good airship.

 

“Sorry it took a while,” Jaemin’s tone is equal parts worried and guilty, their strategist surveys their state. Mark waves him off with a grin, and manages to move his leg enough to wrap all of them in a hug.

 

As long as everyone is safe and sound.

 

They manage to find their way into the cockpit, which Jaemin and Jeno had emptied before piloting over to save the two of them, this time a lot slower with all their injuries, Jeno sits both of them down and makes quick work of their wounds, (Mark and Donghyuck fight over who gets healed first, and Jeno ends up having to flip an ice coin) Mark doesn't relax until the little crease in Donghyuck's forehead fades with the pain in his shoulder.

 

Jaemin takes control at the starboard, setting them on a course over to Wulong Forest, this time they celebrate the Avatar State (for once) and cheer as Fire Lord Changmin is completely beaten down by the combined forces of all the Avatars.

 

Jisung and Renjun’s duel with Taemin would’ve reached its conclusion by now, and judging by how the Fire Lord is trapped in a pyramid of rocks, it’s safe to say the Fire Nation has finally taken a devastating blow.

 

Mark looks to the sky to see the tail of Junsu’s Comet, with the Comet leaving the atmosphere, blue is slowly draining back into the clouds, the sky is less vermillion and more purple. For the first time today, he finds it in himself to appreciate the beauty of the Comet- The previously bleeding sky is now a myriad of colours, clouds streaked and tinted from yellow to orange to red to pink to lavender, Mark finally appreciates how the fiery light dances warmth across Donghyuck's features as they gaze into the horizon.

 

Jaemin steers the ship to drop all of them off where Chenle and Winwin were waiting with a worn out Fire Lord.

 

Mark lets Jeno support his weight as he watches Donghyuck run over and throw his arms over Chenle, cooing to the younger that he was _proud, so, so proud_. Jaemin joins in with his baby voice and Mark admits it's kind of fun to watch Chenle squirm from all the extra attention he was getting in front of his greatest mortal enemy.

 

The Comet has passed, and the worst is finally over.

 

 

* * *

 

 

**Earth**

When Mark first meets Donghyuck, really meets him, it's in Donghyuck’s huge garden, with him on his back and the breath knocked out of him by the force of Donghyuck’s Earthbending.

 

He remembers how when he looked up, he sees Donghyuck’s head haloed by the rays of the sun, and the first thing he says is, “You’re really bright.”

 

(His toes still curl in embarrassment sometimes when he thinks back on it. Donghyuck still thinks it’s cute.)

 

Donghyuck had paused, expression for a moment going hard in shock and cheeks colouring, before he schooled himself into a neutral expression and asked, voice tinged with curiosity and annoyance, what the hell they were doing there in his gardens with the Baby Dolphin.

 

Once he’d found his bearings Mark had reigned himself in. He shouldn’t be feeling so much for someone he barely knew, someone he’d just met.

 

Minseok had told him countless times, he wore his heart on his sleeve so much that it would be easy to take advantage of, and he should be careful to whomever he gives his heart to.

 

Mark had long given his heart to Chenle and their cause, he had long decided that he would join onto their trip to protect them, escort them, or die trying. He’d consciously made that decision the moment he saw Chenle animatedly enquire about the Unagi while still bound to the pillar. He still smiles at the thought.

 

But now, judging by the way his heart beats whenever he looks at Donghyuck- clad in pale green flowing robes that made him look soft and delicate, like a fae, or a Spirit, he thinks- the decision was never his to be made.

 

Now that he looks back on it, Donghyuck has had his heart since the very beginning.

 

.

 

Donghyuck confesses first, and Mark will never live it down because he had run over what he wanted to say to Donghyuck in his head for weeks, yet the younger one got there first- It's not a competition he knows, but Mark is equal parts frustrated and relieved.

 

Donghyuck stays awake with Mark one night, and mumbles to him that he was glad for Mark, glad he cared for him, not a placeholder, not the Young Master of the Lee household. He reddens and stutters and Mark has to strain to hear the precious _I'm in love with you, Hyung_  from a bashful Donghyuck.

 

Mark returns the sentiment by cupping Donghyuck’s adorably red face, whispering a reverent “Love you too, Hyuck,” and planting a soft kiss on his heart-shaped lips.

 

 

 

* * *

 

They attend the grand coronation of General Yunho, the older brother of Fire Lord Changmin.

 

Jisung had told them Yunho had deserted the first Siege of Ba Sing Se when his lover Hero Jaejoong, Taeyong’s older brother, had passed away in the front lines, Second Prince Changmin ascended the throne while his brother was in mourning.

 

Overnight, Jisung’s mother vanished and General Yunho had retreated deep into the palace, never to be seen again. Little did anyone know he had been conferring with Taeyong on the actions of the Order and supporting the rise of the Avatar all along.

 

The man straightens from his crouch, the Flame of the Fire Lord standing tall in his top knot, he holds up a hand to quiet the roaring crowd.

 

He gives a brief smile and he gestures to Chenle, who is standing behind him with his hand in Jisung’s and the crowd goes wild.

 

Donghyuck and Jaemin are going insane, hollering _Those are my babies! Our babies! We raised them!_

 

Jeno has Renjun on his shoulders, his eyes curved up and nose crinkled in laughter as he teases Renjun, who is discreetly trying to wipe away his tears, a soft smile of pride on his face.

 

Jaemin and Donghyuck are having a competition to see who can generate the most racket and get their youngest two’s attention, apparently, because Jaemin starts swinging his precious sword in an arc over his head and Donghyuck is twirling Mark's replaced metal fans in the most dramatic flourish and all Mark can think of is that _he’s so in love with his Sun_.

 

Chenle lights up when he spots them in the crowd, and he tugs Jisung forward and waves at them with his whole body, bouncing on the podium and surprising the new Fire Lord with his boldness.

 

A fond laugh escapes Mark as when Chenle almost breaks Jisung’s back with the force that he uses to hop onto him, Chenle’s mouth forms their names and Donghyuck screeches and waves back in equal vigour.

 

The crowd’s cheering is too loud, but he can almost imagine Chenle’s voice when he sees him mouthing _Hyung! Hyung!_ from the podium, Jisung ducks his head in embarrassment but his hands come beneath Chenle’s thighs to fully support him, he shifts him higher, and his grin is full and bright when he raises his head and Mark is so, so happy and so, so proud.

 

He reaches for Donghyuck’s hand and clasps it tight. Donghyuck stops his chant of _Ava-tar! Ava-tar!_ to grin at Mark, and Mark sees the sun and stars, all in one. He leans in and feels Donghyuck’s smile against his own. They both pull back beaming.

 

Mark finds the cheek in him to wink at Donghyuck (oh, he’s been rubbing off of him, but not that Mark minds, at all) and whisper to his ear, “You think we can sneak behind them and freak Jisung out onstage?”

 

Renjun would probably choke both of them for ruining the moment and all, but with all the guards and the fact that Chenle also has some degree of seismic sense, Mark really doubted they would succeed. If he were honest he just really wanted to get Donghyuck where the two of them can be alone.

 

Donghyuck gives him that musical laugh that has him so smitten, and that mischievous glint that Mark has always found endearing crosses Donghyuck’s eyes, “Oh, it’s on.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With all the flying and airships and air bison I almost called this chapter Long Ass Ride but then thought it would be too meme and too disrespectful lmfao
> 
> So:  
> Yunho (TVXQ U-know Yunho) is like the political side of Iroh, while Taeyong is the 'spiritual guide' to Jisung (Yunho is the actual Grand Lotus in all of the events)  
> Junsu (JYJ/TVXQ Xiah Junsu) is Sozin, partially because of how close he and Boa are, partially because Junsu's Comet sounds more badass than like Micky's Comet or Yoochun's Comet (sorry Yoochun, I do like you <3)  
> Jaejoong (JYJ/TVXQ Hero Jaejoong) is Luten, the late son of Iroh, but I tweaked it so he was a lover of Yunho, and Taeyong's older brother. When he dies, Yunho loses his drive temporarily as a general - Changmin asks his father for the throne, and in his anger, his father orders Changmin's wife be taken away so Changmin can experience the pain Yunho is in, which is why Jisung loses his mother when he was younger.
> 
> Yunho learns the error of the ways of the Fire Nation and joins the White Lotus, he renounces his claim to the throne and Changmin takes over instead. Yunho confers with Taeyong for their plans of the White Lotus and Changmin just thinks they're meeting frequently to cope with Jaejoong's death so he lets them be, which eventually leads to his fall.
> 
> I made the decision to crown Yunho so that Jisung would not have to take the throne so he could travel with Chenle instead don'tstabme
> 
> Hope you guys enjoyed this? I'll probably keep the encounter chapters of ChenDream meet cute rather short in comparison to this chapter, but I'll properly lengthen those that show character development i promise! Let me know if you liked this drabble in a drabble, I do have more drafts like this but if this is too confusing I'll keep away from this format, in reality I just wanted to write a few short excerpts as an ode to Markhyuck so :3
> 
> Markhyuck is probs one of my favourite dynamics in this, while Chensung and Nomin are unbearably wholesome, (and Lucas and Renjun are, well, them lmao) Markhyuck in here is more like a real life relationship- with all the rocky bits and the compromises. But for real I just wanted to write how much Mark adored Hyuck so there is less arguments and more fluff here lmao sorry guys
> 
> Let me know what you guys think! Any and all comments are v v v appreciated!!!


	7. Full Sun, Reigning Champion (Haechan)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Earth Rumble Six, where you can witness a young teenage boy beat up rough buff uncles with his eyes blindfolded!
> 
> You may even be able to capture the extremely rare and coveted Baby Dolphin Avatar! 
> 
> Satisfaction is 100% guaranteed!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Or: *jazz hands* Baby Sun vs Baby Dolphin

The voice of the host of the Earthbending tournament can just barely be heard over the thunderous shouts and applause as it bounces off the dank, sticky walls of the underground arena. The air is thick and rank with sweat, and honestly the seating was extremely uncomfortable- all bumpy rocks and hard surfaces, but the humidity doesn't dampen the roar of the crowd in the slightest as the host announces the victory of the crowd favourite.

 

_“AAAND THE BOULDER WINS IN A LANDSLIDE! HE TRASHES FIRE NATION MAN!! THE BOULDER GOES ON TO THE NEXT ROUND!!”_

 

Chenle is bouncing in his seat because this is _so cool_.

 

The Air Nomads were the only nation where everyone was a Bender. All Air Nomads had access to all 36 tiers of Airbending should they have the disposition to learn it (none of that non-bending discrimination business), but because of the pacifist nature of well, everyone, they never held duels or raised a hand against each other, even in training or in arguments. Except for Airball, but then everyone is unnecessarily competitive at Airball. Chenle loves it. Everyone gets so petty, even Monk Yixing would catapult fruit pies at the opposing team the day following a loss- Airball brought the best and the worst out of _everyone_ and Chenle Lived For It.

 

Now don’t get him wrong, he respects his culture and he loves his home. Chenle was raised on the principles of Airbending, naturally he found the aggressive spirit of Firebending and the confrontational crudeness of Earthbending to be fascinating. Earthbending face-offs looked painfully violent at first, but oh, they smash rocks against each other and they all come out unharmed and there’s a champion belt that's all green and gold and snazzy - that’s all _so awesome_.

 

Next to him, Renjun and Jaemin are cheering on the Boulder as some guy in a gecko mask steps up into the ring. All three of them hoot as the Boulder basically _owns_ the Gecko (if Chenle were to be honest, their names alone already decides the winner, but he doesn’t make the rules unfortunately) and sends his opponent tumbling straight out of the ring, as quickly has he had come in.

 

Chenle is bouncing in his seat with excitement, and Jeno next to him has to put a hand on his thigh to calm him down. Chenle whirls to face Jeno.

 

“Hyung! Jeno-Hyung! You’ve actually seen a lot of Masters in the North Pole, what do you think of the Boulder? Do you think he’ll teach me?”

 

Imagine! The Champion of Earth Rumble Six teaching the Avatar to Earthbend! Teaching him! Bet the Fire Lord never got a Champion as a teacher, Chenle is one step closer to winning already.

 

Jeno blinks at the onslaught of Screaming Airbender in his face, then replies carefully after considering his words, “I do think he has some good moves, but Lele, remember what King Heechul said to you: You need someone who waits and listens, rather than an entertaining performer.”

 

Chenle deflates temporarily when he recalls the encounter in Omashu before perking up again, “Oh, there are still quite a few rounds, I’m sure I’ll be able to meet more Masters other than him!”

 

Jeno smiles and tickles Chenle under his chin, a gesture that Chenle has learnt that Jeno’s family uses as a sign of affection, and Mark next to him nods, fond grin spreading across his face, “That’s the spirit! If we don’t find a Master in this town, we’ll look in the other town over. We need to find what suits you the most, Chenle-yah.”

 

But oh, every tingling spidey sense in Chenle is convinced that The Boulder is probably the most badass Bender in this competition! Or this city! He’s just so **huge**! If he stood next to all of Dream he’d probably tower over all of them ( _like a huge tree and tiny flowers_ , he tells Mark, whose hysterical laughing in response earned them side-eyed glares from the other three), and he’d probably be able to strangle both Renjun and Chenle in one arm (now that really wasn’t saying much because Chenle know he’s light and Renjun is _tiny_ and Renjun can probably strangle anyone if he so wanted to). Chenle briefly contemplates how many Boulders (in plural) Kun can lift before collapsing before his attention is stolen away by a particularly loud _GONG_.

 

Chenle turns his eyes onto the podium, the spotlights bathe the host in the centre of the stage in light. The host waits as the anticipation bubbles and the noise in the room sizzles down.

  

_“Now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for: THE BOULDER VERSUS OUR REIGNING CHAMPION- **FULL SUN, HAECHAN**!!!”_

 

A lithe figure clad in bright yellow with a jade green cape saunters into the ring, a large champion’s belt raised above their head.

 

The lights converge on the figure to reveal a teen, possibly around Renjun’s age, with round doe eyes, smooth tanned skin and heart shaped lips. He's completely at ease in the centre of the stage. The crowd goes completely nuts as the boy raises the belt higher.

 

Full Sun is a good description, Chenle thinks, Jaemin has always told him that he reminded him of good mornings, and baby rays of the sun, even if Chenle likes the praise, he thinks this boy, holding up the belt, basking in the cheering of the crowd, is more like the sun itself.

 

He’s dazzling, and Chenle is transfixed.

 

Two female assistants swarm the boy, one takes the belt from his hands and takes the cape off his shoulders, while the other takes a strip of jade green cloth, shows the audience the thickness, and binds the boy’s eyes. Chenle’s jaw drops.

 

“He’s fighting blind?!” Renjun squeaks, even Jaemin is stunned at the unexpectedly bold move.

 

The Boulder on the podium is flexing his big muscles, he says in that theatrical way of his, “The Boulder feels conflicted on fighting a young, blindfolded boy.”

 

Haechan snorts, “Sounds to me like you’re scared, Rocky.”

 

Haechan's voice is high, not as high as Chenle's of course, but his timbre is incredibly unique. Chenle knows he'd definitely be able to pick it out from a crowd. Mark stills and holds his breath at the sound of his voice, Chenle watches the oldest's expression gleefully as Markie-poo forms a crush.

 

The Boulder looks temporarily surprised, then he quickly recovers.

 

“The Boulder is over his conflicted feelings and he’s ready to bury you in a _rock-a-lanche_!”

 

Haechan gives a small mocking shrug, “Bud, I'm ready whenever you have the balls to actually attack.” More laughter from the crowd.

 

“Oh, it’s on!” The Boulder draws Chenle’s attention back to the ring away from Mark’s stunned face.

 

What he sees afterwards, not to be dramatic, changes Chenle’s _life_.

 

The Boulder bellows a battle cry, and runs toward Haechan, as if to tackle him out of the ring. His first step is menacing, and the whole spectator's stand shakes at the Boulder's strength, Chenle's lower jaw clatters against his teeth, and he has to grip on to Renjun when the tremor almost dislodges the older from his perch.

 

Haechan's facial expression remains calm and unperturbed. He moves quickly, spreading his feet into a stance, his palms upwards. Before the Boulder takes his second step, Haechan is already moving his feet into an arc, and kicking the floor. His strike creates a shock wave in the arena floor that churns up the ground, and the force travels straight at the Boulder, precisely to where his feet lands next.

 

Chenle has barely blinked as The Boulder’s foot meets the shock wave just as he puts it back on the ground. Haechan's bending negates the Boulder's stomp, and the Boulder slips and loses his footing, he drops down onto the ground in a perfect split.

 

“ _Ooooooooooooh_!”

 

The Boulder howls painfully from the stretch, and Chenle is shrieking in laughter before he knows it, Winwin squeaks from Jaemin’s hold and honestly that sends Chenle clapping because that ‘oooh’ was several octaves higher than he thought the burly Boulder could ever manage. Renjun, Jaemin and Jeno cringe in mutual sympathy for the man, phantom pain streaking up their legs at just the imagination alone.

 

The fight isn’t over yet.

 

Haechan makes a chopping motion with his hand, three huge stalagmites erupt from the ground and hit The Boulder in Pain in the back. The force ejects him from the ring. He flies across the trench separating the podium from the stands and slams into the wall with an _oof._ The Boulder slides down into the space below the podium with a groan, utterly defeated.

 

Haechan’s lips slip into a satisfied grin, he laughs and whoops freely, and the crowd roars in response. Next to them, Mark tenses, eyes wide and jaws slack, “That laugh… I know that laugh!” Chenle doesn't pay attention to Mark's horrible attempt at pick up lines, and decides right there and then that he wants this Haechan as his teacher. Forget about the burly man and his large muscles, Haechan is _way_ more badass. Chenle screams several octaves (and decibels) higher than the crowd, he claps as loudly as he can to show his appreciation and support to Haechan.

 

Chenle wonders if Haechan does teach him, would he able to Bend with a blindfold on too? He’d be able to wake Jaemin-hyung and get them going without having to get up himself, he’d be able to fake sleeping while sending Mark-hyung up into the air, oh maybe he can even fight Jisungie with his eyes bound on their next encounter! Jisung would be so floored! All the possibilities has Chenle _giddy_.

 

So Chenle being Chenle, hops into the ring the instance an opportunity presents itself, he just doesn’t understand why Haechan is so hell-bent on attacking him when all he wants to do is _talk_.

 

“Somebody's a little light on his feet! What's your fighting name, the Fancy Dancer?”

 

Fancy Dancer isn't too bad a name, Chenle thinks, it's certainly better than what he could come up with, and yes, Chenle does have some moves (it comes with Airbending and being light on his feet, he thinks the fact that Haechan possibly guessed it from just his footsteps alone is AMAZING), but Fancy Dancer doesn't quite have the same badass ring to it the same way Full Sun does.

 

Haechan interrupts his internal tirade when he launches another pillar at him, Chenle squeaks, alarmed, in response. Haechan laughs, “Ooh, that’s an interesting sound, what are you doing on land, Baby Dolphin?”

 

Chenle can hear Renjun and Jaemin yelling in the distance, cheering him on. He briefly looks over to see Jeno looking on worriedly and Mark still stuck in his state of confusion.

 

“Where'd you go?”

 

“Please, Haechan-hyung, I really just want to talk-“

 

“There you are!” Haechan doesn't give Chenle time to finish before launches a rock towards him

 

It was pure reflex when Chenle bends an air blast in return, he really didn’t mean to knock the champion out of the ring, but before he realises it, Haechan is turning away angrily as the host announces his victory and hands Chenle the champion belt.

 

Chenle ignores him and races over to Haechan, yelling, “Wait! I just want to talk! I need an Earthbending teacher! I want it to be you, hyung!”

 

Haechan waves him off with an cold, “Leave me alone.” And Chenle looks on in despair as Haechan disappears into a tunnel that he opens and then closes.

 

 

* * *

 

  

At least Jaemin is delighted with his new belt, Chenle feels just slightly better that something good came out of his disastrous encounter with Haechan.

 

“Jeno-yah, what do you think? The bag I bought matches the belt! I’m so glad I did!’

 

“It really brings out your eyes,” Jeno deadpans, and Jaemin pulls him into his arms.

 

“Jenooooo you mean that? You really mean that? You disagreed when I bought the bag, you said it’d end up under Kun’s saddle!”

 

“Because it will!”

 

Renjun shushes them both before Jaemin can bicker back. He’s holding Chenle’s hand in a comforting grip and Chenle is really grateful. He should make Renjun a bouquet blindfolded to show his thanks when he masters it under Haechan’s tutelage. If he does manage to get Haechan as his teacher, that is.

 

He meets Renjun’s eyes, troubled, “What do I do, hyung? I really want Haechan to be my teacher… But I might have pissed him off and now I don’t even know where to find him!”

 

Renjun sighs, “We’ll ask around, we’ll definitely find a way.”

 

(They do, of course they do.)

 

 

* * *

 

 

A Boom, a Shake, and then they were flying through the air, breath knocked out of them by hard unyielding Earth.

 

Mark's brain must still be out of commission, because what he says is frankly embarrassing and Chenle has had enough with the cringey pick-up lines. _Really bright_? Who says that?

 

Chenle can hear Renjun groaning and Jaemin holding back snickers and honestly, if Chenle wasn't a Man on a Mission to convince his future teacher (just you wait) to teach him, he would be teasing Mr-Absolutely-Fully-Capable.

 

Chenle squints to see Haechan flushing prettily at Mark's words before he gets a grip, and saves all of them from further second-hand embarrassment by enquiring,

 

_“What in the Spirits’ name are you doing here, Baby Dolphin?”_

 

 

* * *

 

 

Chenle swears on Monk Yixing’s amazing fruit pies that he honestly didn’t mean to get kidnapped and used as a portable bank for these Earthbenders.

 

Maybe abusing the name of the Avatar to gain access into Haechan’s home isn’t the best method they could’ve used, but they’ve tried diplomacy already, and that backfired spectacularly when Haechan threatened to call the guards on them.

 

Mark spent an entire supper mouthing off with Haechan, whose real name is Donghyuck (which Chenle thinks is also a really nice name, less badass, but sweeter) while Renjun and Donghyuck have a subtle bending battle underneath the table cloth which basically boiled down to the two of them being petty and fooling around with their food- from Donghyuck creating tiny boulders underneath Renjun's feet to make him faceplant into his soup, to Renjun parting Donghyuck's food whenever the Earthbender tried to dip his spoon in for another mouthful (Soup vs Earth can you believe it? Awesome. SO Awesome). Chenle is so tempted to join in, but the weight of Jaemin’s hand on his shoulder reminds him that blowing up the dining table would not get him into the Lee family’s good graces.

 

The Lee family however, seem to be completely blindsided to Donghyuck's Earthbending prowess, because whenever Jaemin brings up the topic of needing an Earthbending teacher, the Lee head of the family laughs it off and tells them Donghyuck is weak, frail and fragile, which is clearly untrue if what they'd seen earlier today and Donghyuck's darkening expression was anything to go by.

 

After the eventful dinner, Chenle returns to the problem of actually convincing Donghyuck (Haechan? Full Sun?) to come with them and teach him Earthbending when said Earthbender shows up at his quarters and asks for a walk in the garden and a truce.

 

Chenle was enjoying his first lesson (no matter what everyone thinks, this is his first lesson with an Earthbender, so there's that) with Donghyuck on his history of Badassery (Seriously! Badger moles? How cool is that?) when they were incredibly rudely interrupted and shoved into metal cages by the bunch of butt-hurt Earthbenders that Donghyuck had beaten a while ago.

 

So now here he is, learning of the plans of the traitors to sell him to the Fire Lord while listening to Donghyuck throw insults down at them from their suspended metal cells. Chenle wholeheartedly thinks there are worse ways to spend the evening.

 

(Like the night he spent coaxing that damn panda Spirit, that was really annoying, all the creature did was bite and roar lasers _everywhere_ )

 

“Really? Selling him to the Fire Nation? You lot are all retarded! If the Fire Nation gets to him, the War will end and you won’t be able to use all that Earth Kingdom money! Grow a couple more brain cells in those empty heads of yours before you come back! Or better! Get up here and I’ll beat those brain cells into you! Free of charge!”

 

That's it, Donghyuck is officially Chenle’s idol. He almost whines when he sees Donghyuck’s father crop up at the arena with the rest of Dream to pay for Donghyuck’s freedom, he resolves to wave mournfully at Donghyuck as the other boy's cell is lowered from its hang and the entire cell is transferred over to Donghyuck's father. Renjun is on the verge of attacking the Earth Rumble Host when the goons tell his hyungs they have no intention of releasing him, so Chenle calls from his cell. to placate his smallest hyung.

 

“It’s okay hyung, leave me be, I’ll be okay.”

 

The concerned glance Renjun shoots him almost- just almost- makes him crack. Chenle hates it when his hyungs are upset or stressed, and upset and stressed they indeed were right now, especially when the Earthbenders have Evil Plans with him. Renjun's chances of winning in an all out fight with a team of Master Earthbenders in an arena of earth was pretty low, especially when all the water he's got is in his water-skins. He tries to soothe the frowns on his hyungs’ face by grinning, he’s not too worried for himself, he has no doubt they’ll tail him on their way to the Fire Nation at every opportunity to save him. He's just mournful that he hasn't had enough time with Donghyuck to master the level of name-calling the Earthbending Master had displayed.

 

Chenle resigns himself to just spending the rest of the trip to the Fire Nation reciting all of Donghyuck’s insults he’s heard in the past hour as the Hippo hefts his cage over his shoulder easily. He's so bummed that Jaemin wasn't able to hear all of them because the older would patiently explain the more complex insults to Chenle and come up with equally brilliant comebacks.

 

His cage is suddenly released from the iron grip of the Hippo when a huge boulder grows out of the ground underneath the Earthbender's feet. Chenle, cage and chains and all, clatter painfully to the ground with a huge **clang**. He lets out a yelp at the echo in the small metal cage and claps his hands over his ears.

 

“Let him go.”

 

Chenle perks up when he hears Donghyuck’s voice, steely with anger. He immediately tries to stick his face out of the tiny window in the metal cage, but the horrible cage design was thoughtlessly stopping him from getting his dose of entertainment _._ Despite that, Chenle still feels a zing of excitement- Haechan-hyung came back! He must have run back after he managed to get unlocked from his cell, despite his father being there, despite his so-called Earthbending teacher being there! For him!

 

“Hrgggh?” The Earthbenders grunt like a pile of uncivilised orcs at the challenge and Donghyuck scoffs.

 

“I’ve beat all of you into the dirt before and I’ll do it again!! Let him go!”

 

The Earthbenders laugh mockingly, they flex their limbs and Hippo picks up Chenle's cage and flings it easily to the edge of the ring.

 

Chenle is once again rattled violently, he knows he'll definitely bruise this time. He hears Jaemin yell his name and all his hyungs' hurried footfalls towards him. When Jeno peers through the tiny window in the metal cage, all fond exasperation and worry, Chenle gives him his trademark beam, the one that he frequently uses to get him out of trouble with Monk Yixing and the one he finds all his hyungs melt at, as a brief apology for getting in trouble and a thanks for being there, he knows they'll get him out somehow.

 

He's far more interested at the fight that's brewing in the ring.

 

What Chenle has learnt through watching Haechan fight is that he’s fast, he does wait and listen but when he sees the right moment, he always seizes it immediately. The Earthbenders all charge at Donghyuck like a pride of idiots, and in response, he shakes up the ring, and generates a teeth-rattling shockwave that ripples across the arena and blows them all backward with a huge cloud of dust.

 

Damn these bars, Chenle can’t see clearly what’s going on, but he knows that Donghyuck is owning the fight, judging by the screams and the pained groans when Donghyuck ejects them out of the ring. His hyungs are diligently working on the latch of his prison, Jeno bangs a stray rock onto the lock with every slice of Renjun’s water knives, while the rest of them look on in awe at the fight that Chenle _really wants to be watching too_.

 

When Chenle finally wriggles out of the cage, he's ready to fight, but Jaemin just shakes his head and points a finger at the raging battle through the dust clouds. Chenle can juuust make out that Donghyuck is facing the Hippo and the Boulder at the same time, and some over guy with kabuki face-paint that is _way_ less cool than Mark’s is swinging on a rope overhead (is that even Earthbending?) with a rock in his clutches.

 

Donghyuck cocks his head, his eyes are closed as he Earthbends the ring pattern of the ground he’s standing on, it swivels and puts the kabuki monkey into a collision course with the other two bigger guys. The swinging gymnast hits the two wrestlers in a pained moan and Donghyuck swiftly removes them from the arena with an easy flick of his wrist- right on top of all the other wrestlers he’d defeated.

 

Chenle is about to run over and gush at how cool he is when Jaemin holds him back, _One more_ , the older mouths and he only gets it when Donghyuck forces the dust cloud down and the ring clears to reveal the Earth Rumble Host and Donghyuck standing in the centre of the ring.

 

Donghyuck rotates his neck while the Host cracks his knuckles and they slip into their fighting stances.

 

Chenle’s heart pounds in his chest as the Host kicks up one giant boulder, followed by two, then three, then another huge one and sends them all Donghyuck’s way without giving him time to breathe.

 

Donghyuck pulls up his own little earth pyramid to deflect all the attacks, then in a _genius_ move, he turns part of the rock shield against him, sending the triangle shooting at the man, cutting through the arena in a deadly strike.

 

The host dodges it, turns in the air and catches himself by planting his hand into the earth, his palm sinks into the ground, as if the rocky arena was made of clay. He then uses his previous momentum to comb the earth upwards, throwing rocks at Donghyuck from the ground up.

 

Donghyuck seemed to have anticipated this, because he barely moves, only to dodge gracefully, he claps back by forcing his hand forward in a sharp move, twisting his torso to generate more momentum, and the Host is sent flying by the force of his fissure, right out of the fight between Donghyuck's 'Master' and his gaping father.

 

Chenle leaps into the air, screaming as he bounds over to Donghyuck because _Good Spirits_ he needs to learn how to do that!!!!

He’s aware that his hyungs are also clapping and cheering as he jumps onto Donghyuck’s back to tell him  _you’re absolutely amazing, Haechan-hyung! That's LEGEND HYUNG! YOU SEE IT?! IT'S LEGEND!! RIGHT THERE!!_  and Donghyuck is smiling wide, wide, wide and oh, Chenle wishes he got to watch all of the fight.

 

(Airheaded as he is though, Chenle is more observant than he lets on: Donghyuck's father walks towards them with the Master, expression thunderous and footsteps heavy as he briefly gives Donghyuck a once over to check for wounds.

 

Chenle tries to focus on Donghyuck's glowing face rather than on his father's less than pleased expression- Donghyuck had just beat the dust out of an entire league of Earthbending Masters, if that's not a cause to celebrate, Chenle doesn't know what else is.)

 

 

* * *

 

 

“So yeah dad,” Donghyuck looks shyer and more insecure than Chenle has ever seen him as he addresses his father when they’re back at the manor, “That frail young helpless boy you thought I was? That’s- That’s just not _me_. I love fighting! I love being an Earthbender and I’m really, really good at it! It’s what I really want to do!”

 

His doe eyes sparkle at the mention of bending, and Chenle feels admiration surge up his chest once again at this hyung who’s brave enough to speak out against the authority. Part of him wonders what really would have happened a hundred years ago if he’d confronted the Elders instead of running away- Would the hundred year war not have happened? Or would he be dead and instead long reincarnated into someone in the Water Tribes? Would he have been Renjun's friend earlier? Or would he have been Jeno's companion? Or worse, would the Fire Nation have already taken over the Water Tribes in search of his reincarnation?

 

Donghyuck’s insistent tone brings him back from his regrets as he continues, “I know I’ve hidden my life from you, but you’ve hidden me from the rest of the world- I- Father, I’ve only ever wanted a taste of freedom and a real friend when I first snuck out, and now it's opened me to so much more!"

 

“I know this will change the way you think about me, mom, dad, just- I love you both, and I hope how you feel about me won’t change...”

 

Donghyuck bites his lips nervously in wait for his parent's reaction. Donghyuck’s father rises from his seat on the dais, frown prominent on his face.

 

“Oh Donghyuck, this doesn’t change the way we feel about you, you’re our one and only darling son. This has made me realise something.”

 

Donghyuck’s face lit up with hope and the beginnings of a smile, “It has?”

 

“Yes. I’ve realised that I give you too much freedom.”

 

Donghyuck’s face morphs quickly into horror, “What? No-“

 

Mr Lee holds up a hand to silence his son, “From now on you will be cared for and guarded twenty-four hours a day.”

 

Donghyuck’s knees buckle, and he ends up falling to his knees in front of his parent’s dais, mouth open in shock and eyes glazing over with tears.

 

Chenle whips his head back and forth between his hyungs, who seem equally as astounded, a crushed Donghyuck, and his stone-faced parents, because _this isn’t happening, is it? It can’t be happening-_

 

“Please, Avatar and friends, escort yourself out of my house, you are no longer welcome here.”

 

Chenle's world becomes distorted, tunnel-visioned. It's like he's hearing everything from underwater, and the only thing he sees clearly is how distraught Donghyuck is. Donghyuck looks up desperately at Chenle, then at each and every one of them, eyes glassy, he moves his hands, as if to reach for them.

 

“No- please-“

 

“It’s for your own good, Donghyuck,” His mother cuts in sharply.

 

“Hyung! Hyung! I-“ Chenle wants to go give Donghyuck a hug, but he's blocked by the guards from going any closer. Chenle pushes against the armoured arm, Donghyuck is just beyond his reach, he just wants to soothe, him, to comfort him, teacher or not, Earthbending be damned.

 

“Chenle!” Jaemin pulls the back of his robe, “Don’t. They won’t hesitate to hurt us.”

 

Chenle looks around the see the guards with their weapons at his hyungs' necks and Donghyuck’s parents glaring at them, the guards have them all surrounded, they have nowhere but the exit to turn. Mark looks like he is one move away from whipping out his fans and Renjun is trembling in anger. Chenle has no doubt they would fully able subdue the numbers here, but what if more guards arrive? What if the authorities, the soldiers of the city arrive? Or worse, what if that Fire Nation Prince- Not Jisung, the mean one- and his two fighters catch wind of their location? Jaemin's hand on his arm is growing heavier by the second as he shakes his head disapprovingly.

 

What good would it do to Donghyuck, to watch them fight his parents? What good would it be, if more guards come and somehow manage to take one of them down? The steel of the crescent blades glint cold from the light in the manor, a bloodthirsty grin. Their hands are tied.

 

Chenle swallows the lump in his throat and manages to whisper, “I’m sorry, Haechan-hyung, I’m so sorry.”

 

Donghyuck looks more remorseful and heartbroken than Chenle, his figure is impossibly small against the extravagant furnishings of the mansion.

 

“I’m sorry too, Chenle, I really am.” He manages hoarsely.

 

Jeno turns Chenle away before the guards spear them out, a protective arm slung over the Airbender's shoulder, he turns that intimidating gaze of his upon the guards as they step out as calmly as they can.

 

Their footsteps are jarringly loud on the marble floor and they're hyperaware of every step that takes them farther from Donghyuck. It's painful for all of them to walk away when they can so clearly hear Donghyuck’s quiet, heart-wrenching sobs echo against the cold marble as they leave.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Chenle drags his feet against the dirt as they trek up the hill where Kun is waiting, and neither Renjun nor Mark are in the mood to reprimand the younger for kicking up the dust and dirtying their pants and shoes. They can feel just how disappointed Chenle is, and to be honest, they are too, especially Mark, who had finally told them what he had seen in the swamp, and was convinced that the laugh he’d heard from the figure, a boy cloaked in pale green robes, had meant _something._

 

“Chenle-yah,” Jeno begins soothingly when they’re all on the saddle and ready to take off, he places a hand on Chenle's arm as the young Airbender stares off into the horizon with a crestfallen expression, “It’s okay, there are plenty of wonderful Earthbending Masters out there, we’ll find you a great teacher.”

 

“Not like him, hyung.”

 

Chenle lets Jaemin encircle him in a comforting hug. There are times when they all are carried away by how much power the Avatar wields that they forget: Chenle is still just a kid, and so is Donghyuck, so are they.

 

Deep down, Chenle isn’t mourning for the loss of a good teacher, he has no doubt they will be able to find another one. He’s dejected of a forced loss of a friend, one that’s beyond their help despite his leverage as the Avatar. Chenle knows how horrible it feels to be surrounded by people but feel all alone, but he had Monk Yixing, and he had Kun with him- it makes him feel worse that Donghyuck is so lonely, even lonelier than he had been, in that huge gaudy manor.

 

A house of cold marble and stone that would never be a home.

 

Suddenly Winwin chatters, and leaps from Mark’s shoulder to the edge of the saddle, alert.

“Guys! Wait!”

 

Chenle lifts his gaze from his pile of clothes to see Donghyuck running up the hill.

 

“Hyung?”

 

Donghyuck is panting, hair tousled and cheeks pink from exertion. He’s changed into a less flashy attire compared to his Full Sun getup, in deeper and richer forest greens, there’s a small pack of his belongings on his shoulder. His eyes are wide and frantic and he’s sweating from effort to get to them in time.

 

“I’m getting the hell out of that house, I’m coming with you guys!”

 

Chenle’s heart starts to rise in hope. He looks to the rest of them, Jaemin’s eyes seem to be alight with possibilities and Renjun sits up straighter from his position on the saddle.

 

“Wait,”

 

Ever the leader, Mark hesitates. Getting Chenle the teacher he wanted is important, but if Donghyuck comes with them out of rebellion, things wouldn’t end well. He peers at Donghyuck’s face, wanting nothing more than to reach out and pull him into the saddle, but there’s one very important factor in Donghyuck’s life, and miserable as they may make him, they’re still very much a cornerstone.

 

“Your parents, Donghyuck, what about them?”

 

Donghyuck’s gaze sharpens, and his jaw sets, lips turned down into a stubborn frown “Well they can try come and get me, but I’m never going back. I’m done living in a house where people just want to tend to an illusion of me, not the real me.”

 

“You guys need me, I need you guys to travel the world, and I need a bunch of good friends- seems like a good enough deal to me- I- I’ve thought this through, Mark-hyung, I’ve wanted this for so long, and if I don’t take this chance I’ll be stuck living in an even smaller cage for the rest of my life.”

 

He lips are downturned and trembling, “I don’t want to live as a prisoner in my own home- I'd rather die than live the rest of my life like a doll.” He finishes miserably.

 

Mark, Jeno and Renjun exchange glances in solemn silence, while Chenle and Donghyuck look on, nervous.

 

Chenle really, really wants this, really wants Donghyuck by his side as his friend, as his teacher, as his hyung, and really wants Donghyuck to be smiley instead of sad. Everyone deserves to be smiley instead of sad, Chenle thinks, and a grin suits Donghyuck-hyung so much more than tears and a frown.

 

Mark eventually nods, a slow smile tugging at his lips and it’s Jaemin who says, “Well, then what are you waiting for? Come on up and get your belt back before I change my mind!”

 

Donghyuck grins and starts scaling up Kun’s tail as Chenle whoops, crashing into his hyungs in a gigantic group hug. He turns to give Donghyuck, who was sliding into the saddle, a hug too. Donghyuck’s lips are upturned and he lets out a genuine giggle when Chenle’s flying (literally) tackle sends them both tumbling off Kun’s back and down onto the ground.

 

" _It was a boy around Renjun's size,"_ Mark told had them earlier _, _"_ a bit taller though, I couldn't see his features clearly- but I could hear his laughter, and his voice... Donghyuck sounded so much like him. He was chasing a glowing lion cub around, and honestly? He lit up the swamp, I swear on Kangta, he was brighter than the sun."_

 

Donghyuck barely blinks as he turns to cushion their fall, when his back hits the earth, a pillar rises to send them both back up straight into the saddle. Jaemin is clapping and Jeno is grinning at them both. Renjun reprimands them with a grin not to muddy up their saddle, but he high-fives Donghyuck anyway and Donghyuck is full on beaming, like the sun.

 

Chenle can tell they’re going to have loads of fun already.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My beautiful baby sun Donghyuck <3 Metalbender!hyuck is my favourite concept you can't change my mind. I may or may not have overused the bright and sun references but it's Hyuck so it's justified
> 
> This chapter is a bit shorter than the last because it's character intro vs character development hope you guys bear with meeee~ The next chapter is a whopper though (and content wise a lil bit different) I do hope you'll like it, it's been a nightmare to edit ><
> 
> Heechul is mentioned briefly but yes he is King Bumi because I wanted someone crazy enough but still sunbae-y  
> So basically, instead of Chenle, Mark is the one in the swamp to see Hyuck's silhouette and hear his laughter, but because this chapter is Chenle POV, I only brushed over that briefly. The baby lion is Mark, we've all been knew, but Mark himself doesn't register that, he only sees how bright and glowy Hyuck is and I honestly don't blame him lol. Chenle writes off Mark's initial reaction as a crush because Mark doesn't tell them what he's seen in the swamp until Chenle's kidnapped, so in Chenle's perspective, the "I know his laugh" equates to a bad attempt at a cheesy pickup line like "Have we met before?" hope that clears it up a bit
> 
> This chapter is basically NoRenMin's guide to parenting a hyperactive Airbender lmao, at some point they wondered how Yixing kept Chenle in check in the Air Temples, the short of the long answer is that he didn't, he lets Chenle run wild >:D
> 
> Honestly I imagine Yixing watching them fret over Chenle from the Spirit World. Giggling.
> 
> Because this chapter is through Chenle's eyes so I tried to make the tone more lighthearted (I'm aware the attention span seems all over the place, so it might be tad confusing, sorry for that!!) Chenle's POV is actually so much fun to write I'm telling you, it's happy and tingly with good vibes all over and it's so wholesome :D
> 
> Thank you for reading! Please pls pls leave a comment, I'd love to know your opinions!!!!


	8. Blank points: The stories untold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A collection of different perspectives while the Dreamies run around trying to save the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: There is a mention of suicide, but it's not of the main characters, there will not be a graphic depiction of it either, it's in the short story 'Only Ashes Remain' in case you want to skip over it, I'll put down a summary of the short in the end notes so you won't miss out.
> 
> This chapter is what I would like to refer to as Strong Sunbae Power lol- The main characters of the short stories are:
> 
> The Catacombs Whisper - RV Wendy
> 
> Written in the Clouds - SJ Leeteuk
> 
> Only Ashes Remain - RV Irene
> 
> Would you slap a puppy? - BTS Jimin
> 
> Blood is Thicker - TVXQ Changmin
> 
> Hiiiii guys, I'm so sorry for this later update, I started off wanting to open the perspective of other characters, but this entire month has been (so) politically taxing and I couldn't find it in me to write and post this. This was editing hell, not gonna lie but I'd rather die than scrap it in the middle ><
> 
> Enjoy guys, this has less Dreamies' interactions in it for obvious reasons, but I still hope you'll like it <3

**The Catacombs Whisper**

The responsibilities of a Fire Sage has changed drastically in the past century.

 

It used to be a position that held so much pride. As servants and attendants of the Avatar, in some ways they were considered above the royal family, untouched by politics and corruption, and deployed for their wisdom as guardians of the temple of past Avatars.

 

When Seungwan was born to her parents, destined to continue her ancestors’ service, they had told her it was an honour to be placed within the temple of the Avatar. She, a young girl from the smaller Fire villages, had been given the privilege to serve at the heart of the Fire Nation. She had whole heartedly believed this, loved the idea of her serving a greater force, the symbol of balance, until she was old enough to realise politics had long wormed their way into the Temple of Boa.

 

In the beginning of the War, Fire Lord Junsu had forced them to comply with his wishes, the Sages were given rewards, bribes and threats to turn against the Avatar on sight. The Sages who were supposed to be solely loyal to the Avatar and all his reincarnations were to treat the Royal Family as gods instead, following their bidding and betraying their roots.

 

The day the statue of Avatar Boa lit up, Seungwan had been so happy, that there was possibility of her true master, her true calling returning, a greater someone for her to serve instead of tending to the Head Sage’s selfish needs. She had felt validated, like the true purpose of her life was finally coming together- They no longer had to listen to the Fire Lord, with an authority figure greater than him in sight.

 

But the Great Sage remained stubborn, obstinate, and greedy for power, opting to follow the decree of Fire Lord Changmin, barking at the other Sages to stop the Avatar from approaching the Sanctuary and capture him for the Fire Lord's reward.

 

Seungwan hated it, detested the idea of warping their identity to those in power. She had long decided to follow the footsteps of her family, to serve the Avatar instead. They can call her a traitor, a betrayer, a spy, a disgrace to her Nation, but she knows who the true disgraces are, and that’s enough.

“Hurry!” Seungwan whispers as she ushers them into the tunnel, the four children look at her gratefully, and they scurry one after another into the entrance. She checks for other Sages before quickly taking up the rear and closing the passage.

 

Seungwan quickens her steps to take the lead in the darkness. The Fire she cups in her hand is familiar, warm and comforting as it lights the way up the spiralling corridors of stairs, “We'll follow these stairs to the Sanctuary," Her gaze flits to the little blond Avatar, "Once you're inside, wait for the light to hit Avatar Boa's statue. Only then will you be able to speak with her.”

 

One of them wearing Earth green robes with bright eyes and high cheekbones speaks up, voice tense with nerves, “What tunnels are these?”

 

Seungwan smiles reassuringly despite her doubt that they can even make out her silhouette in the dim lighting, “Avatar Boa once called this temple her home. She formed these secret passages out of magma.”

 

“Did you know Avatar Boa?” The smaller boy in Water Tribe blue with his arm around the Avatar asked this time.

 

“No.” Seungwan laughs as she shakes her head, “I wish I did, but I’m not nearly old enough. My grandfather knew him. Many generations of Fire Sages guarded this Fire Temple long before me. We all have a strong spiritual connection to this place."

 

“If this is the Avatar's temple... then why did the Sages attack me?” The Avatar asks, voice small. The young Avatar's head had been down the entire journey in the passage, and Seungwan can just tell from the dim light of her Fire that he was pouting, brows furrowed and eyes downcast.

 

Seungwan resists the urge to curl the young boy up into a reassuring hug. She pauses to weigh her words before continuing up the flight of stairs as she answers, “Things have… changed, and not for the better. In the past, the Sages were loyal only to the Avatar. When Avatar Boa died, the Sages eagerly awaited for the next Avatar to return... But they never came.”

 

The Avatar looks down at his feet, shuffling guiltily, the Water Tribe boy grips the blond's hand tighter, “You were waiting for me.”

 

Seungwan hopes her tone was at least light and reassuring to the upset teenager, “They lost hope the Avatar would ever return. When Fire Lord Sozin began the War, my grandfather and the other Sages were forced to follow him. I… never wanted to serve the Fire Lord. When I learned you were coming, I knew I would have to betray the other Sages.”

 

They come to the end of the staircase, and a blast of fire from Seungwan’s palm opens the door back outside the passage. She gestures for them to get out first.

 

The Avatar walks out last, he bows to her, deep and sincere, “Thank you for helping me.”

 

Seungwan has to will the tears welling up in her eyes away.

  

.

 

“No Avatar, no companions, no Bison! Apparently, the only thing I do have is five traitors!”

 

Nightfall helpfully cloaks the sky with clouds, obscuring the fleeing Bison and his Avatar from the Commander's binoculars. The Commander fumes as he paces across the deck of his ship, he glares at the five Fire Sages in front of him.

 

 _Commander Yifan is quite handsome_ , Seungwan thinks, _too bad his personality is quite unsavoury._  

 

The Commander had come in at the most impeccable timing. Right after the Avatar managed the slip past the rest of the Sages into the Sanctuary. He had tailed the flying Bison straight to their Temple on Crescent Island, stormed in, demanding the Sages to open the doors to the Sanctuary and kill the Avatar's companions if the boy did not heed his order to come out and be obedient. He had then taken all of the Avatar's companions and Seungwan hostage as he waited for the doors to open to ambush the young Avatar within.

 

When the doors did open, to all of their surprise and Seungwan's awe, it wasn't Chenle who walked out, but a figure that Seungwan had seen a thousand times around the temple, carved to perfection, and had admired a hundred more.

 

Avatar Boa herself emerged from the Sanctuary, melted all their chains with an easy flick of her wrist and unleashed a hundred years of wrath upon Yifan, his soldiers and the disloyal Sages. With a rumble, she lifted the magma from below the Temple, and turned what was once her home into ashes, bringing scores of soldiers from Yifan's fleet down along with the sacred structure.

 

Seungwan has never seen anything like it, it makes feel marginally better about her situation and her future. She honestly doesn't mind captivity if she had been able to finally serve her true life's purpose, she's as good as a prisoner within the Temple following the Fire Lord anyways. Her capture will only truly be worth it if the young Avatar manages to heed Avatar Boa's advice and succeed in his mission to bring balance.

 

The Great Fire Sage interjects, eyes wide in protest, “But Commander! Only Seungwan helped the Avatar! We’ve did not betray you!”

 

Yifan sneers at the Great Fire Sage, “As far as I'm concerned, you are all guilty.” He waves to the guards holding their wrists in a vice-like grip, “Take them to the prison hold.”

 

Seungwan stares at the rising moon as she is tugged towards the hold of the ship. This would probably be the last time she’d get to see the sky in a long time.

 

A jostle forces her below the deck, away from the moon, the clouds, the chilly night air. As the iron bars close on her, she braces herself for a long journey.

 

It’ll all be worth it, in the end. She whole-heartedly believes that.

 

* * *

 

 

 **Written in the clouds**

_Oh dear_ , Jungsoo thinks when the smaller Water Tribe boy walks into the room, _This one has been hurt before, and the wound is still raw._

 

This contrasts to the boy earlier, Mark, whom Jungsoo had seen true love in the future, ( _“Your love and you will have a million twists and turns, much like writing with ink on water, compromise will be your middle names, but this will be the greatest love of all, he will be like your sun, and you will never wish to let go.”)_ this boy’s love life is plagued by one central figure, and he is held captive by his own thoughts.

 

Poor boy. Poor, poor boys. They could have been such a great couple, had trauma not warped their personalities, had this not been a time of war.

 

“Well?” The boy looks defiantly at Jungsoo, as if he has something to prove. “Aren’t you supposed to read my fortune? Go ahead then.”

 

Jungsoo sighs and reaches over to grasp the younger’s palm. The boy starts at Jungsoo's cool hands, and makes a movement to tug his hand away, before thinking better and settling in his seat.

 

Jungsoo smiles.

 

“Do you believe in greater cosmic powers, Renjun?”

 

Renjun flinches at Jungsoo's address. Jungsoo waits for an answer patiently, he had asked the other two the same question and had received varying degrees of incredulous looks. The other two that came in earlier certainly didn’t believe in Shamans much, Mark was skeptical at best and Jaemin was completely closed off no matter what Jungsoo said. This one though, Jungsoo believes, may allow him to shed some light.

 

Renjun pauses, before nodding just slightly, “In some ways, yes, Destiny and Fate and all that… That’s the only way I can believe the chances of me meeting Che-“

 

Renjun stops abruptly, clapping his free hand over his mouth, eyes wide in horror.

 

Jungsoo makes to study the palm of Renjun’s hand calmly, “Chenle, you mean.”

 

He looks deep into Renjun’s eyes, he can feel his pulse fluttering underneath his fingertips.

 

“Do you… Do you know who we…”

 

“Of course.” Jungsoo says smoothly.

 

Call him a Seer, a Soothsayer, a Shaman or a Spirit Whisperer, it all stands for the same thing- he’s not the most famous for miles for nothing. All of those who were Spirit Touched would have had varying degrees of visions, or an inkling of the destined battle next summer, but Jungsoo? He must have been punched in the forehead violently by a Spirit, because early in his teens he had already known what the current Avatar would look like and when he would return.

 

Jungsoo had anticipated that the Avatar would come for him long ago, but bringing it up would have only made him look like a lunatic.

 

“I have waited for today, I had known the Avatar and I would cross paths one day long before your time.”

 

Jungsoo looks at Renjun to meet the younger’s unwavering gaze, he cuts in as the younger’s mouth opens, “I can only tell you the rough guides of your Fate, I would be going against the Spirits if I told you of all your successes and failures, or gave you the specifics of your future. Forgive me.”

 

Renjun’s shoulders fall, disappointed, his eyebrows crease in worry.

 

“Your companion Jaemin has a problem of self-doubt, your other friend Mark has a flaw of trapping himself within regularity and routine, I don’t see either problem in you, you make a good balance to them. You instigate change, Jaemin mulls it over while Mark builds, truly a good combination within a team.”

 

Renjun relaxes into the chair as Jungsoo continues, “I can, however, see that a problem has been bothering you for the past few days: a boy, deception, and a still fresh broken heart.”

 

Immediately, Renjun’s demeanor changes. His gaze hardens, and his voice turns icy, scathing, “I hope you’re telling me he’ll end up dead in a ditch somehow.”

 

Jungsoo freezes as Renjun's energy rushes into his, and his vision is overcome by dark earthen undergrounds.

 

A handsome boy lies weak with his head on Renjun's lap and another white-haired boy presses glowing water into terrible wounds. He sees Renjun, Chenle, Jaemin and Mark and a few other teenagers leave the boy behind reluctantly, and Jungsoo can feel in his guts that the boy dies there, away from the sky and treetops, away from the freedom the boy yearned and fought for. 

 

_This child will regret this, regret what he said today, and regret never accepting the boy back into his life when he had the chance._

 

Jungsoo shakes his head to clear it, “You are young and impulsive. This can be a wonderful trait for someone accompanying the Avatar- your decisiveness can save many a situation, and your opportunism can keenly grasp chances, but this is not good for making decisions in your relationships. You must not say things like this, it will only bring you regret.”

 

Renjun's gaze remains stubbornly on his lap, and Jungsoo goes on, “This mindset will bring you more harm than good. If you see him again, you must cherish the chance and make amends, else you will never walk out of your depressive cycle.”

 

Jungsoo folds his hands in front of him on his lap. He closes his eyes, crimson on cobblestones still vivid on the back of his eyelids.

 

The Spirits keep showing him flashes, of corruption and desperation. His chest sinks because the boy's death is unpreventable, the events unfolding were already set into motion, not Jungsoo, nor Renjun, nor the Avatar had the power to clear the Capital of the roots of a century of corruption.

 

Ba Sing Se was doomed to fall, if not from the Fire Nation, then from its own festering. If the Avatar was to save the world, he needs to wake the Earth King from his little illusion of peace. Renjun's boy is only the first of many to be lost in the process, but he's important in letting the Avatar know of the tiles on the Pai- Sho board, and he'll be the final push for the Avatar to realise that the true enemy lies within, in exchange for his life.

 

It pains Jungsoo to know that the youth is detrimental to the freedom he fought for, for a steep, lethal cost. And Seer or not, Spirit-guided or not, he doesn't want to see any more.

 

Their session is over. Jungsoo opens his eyes to meet Renjun's equally troubled gaze.

 

“Please tell the Avatar I am ready for him.”

 

**.**

He tries not to laugh at the golden ball of energy that is the last Airbender currently sitting in front of him. Chenle is  _vibrating_ in his seat, no doubt he was the most enthused within his little group and had convinced the other three to come and give Jungsoo this chance.

 

Jungsoo likes this Avatar a lot, he finds. The buzz of light-heartedness that the younger brought removed the heaviness of the three predictions he had given earlier, and oh, this little one has a crush! How adorable! And who is Jungsoo to stand in the way of young love?

 

“Are you sure you want me to tell you? Your soulmate and the one you have in mind may not necessarily be the same person, young Avatar.”

 

“Tell me! I wanna know, so please tellmetellme _tellme_ -“

 

Jungsoo holds up a hand to calm the boy. Chenle settles obediently in his seat, but he's leaning forwards and his eyes are sparkling with anticipation, grin stretching from ear to ear.

 

Ah, so this was why he has such a huge hunch to make chamomile tea, Spirits knew the boy’s older companions probably needed it.

 

Jungsoo examines the shard of bone that remained from the Huge Explosion that happened earlier when the Avatar threw his chosen bone into the fire.

 

“They are someone of high stature, either born into it or worked for it. Your other half, boy, will be an extremely powerful bender, much like you, but they may be clumsy, callous sometimes with his speech and his movements…”

 

Jungsoo hesitates before he divulges into much more: Hurt, betrayal from his own blood, drastic decisions, and crossroads of choices- Chenle will bear the consequence of a poor choice, and he will suffer at teh crossroad, both emotionally and physically. But their destinies are intertwined, they complete each other, and one cannot prevail without the other.

 

Jungsoo looks up to the ecstatic blond, “Follow your instincts, Chenle, you attract luck with your optimism and cheer, in turn luck will bring you to them and them to you. You will end up with a love to last a lifetime, I’m sure of it.”

 

Jungsoo sincerely hopes the Avatar heeds his advice, he may be the only hope for the Young Prince of the Fire Nation.

 

And the Prince, his.

 

The smile, bright and genuine, that Chenle offers him fills Jungsoo with warm confidence that the younger would follow through.

Things will fall into place, just as he predicted. It always does.

* * *

 

 

**Only Ashes Remain**

They called her indomitable, untouchable. Oh she was. She had been. Her reputation didn’t come from rumours, Joohyun had made sure of that.

 

She used to be the pride of the Fire Nation, the great military Admiral, the Fire Lily of the Battlefield, beautiful as she is merciless.

 

She remembers her days when she first started out, how eager she was to prove herself, to achieve. She remembers when she was introduced to her fleet, her closest attendants.

 

Kim Yerim, so young, and impressionable, but so talented, Joohyun remembers how the girl, barely sixteen, had gotten on her knees and pledged her life to Joohyun’s command, for the honour and glory of the Fire Nation.

 

Yerim didn’t know what she was getting herself into, neither did Joohyun.

 

Joohyun had guided Yerim with a strict hand, taught her to hone her sharp mind and sharper skill, to the point where Kim Yerim rose from a mere attendant to her second in command. And Kim Yerim had grown on Joohyun as a person, often the one to bring Joohyun food and drink when the Admiral overworked herself, or the one to cover her with a blanket when the Admiral fell asleep in her office.

 

Yerim had, without Joohyun knowing, wiggled her way into the older’s emotions and built a home there. Yerim had made Joohyun question her morals and her way of doing things time and time again with inquisitive questions and innocent, earnest eyes. Joohyun had watched as day by day, Yerim’s skills grew and she became more and more valuable to the Fire Nation, Joohyun watched as this young girl she mentored take her first prisoner, and as life gradually left her eyes, smiles growing heavy and gazes turning weighted.

 

The day Yerim was announced to be promoted to a Commander herself, she had taken her own life, unable to face what she had done to numerous families, countless fleets and villages to earn that position.

 

Joohyun had left after that, indifferent to the possible consequences of deserting the military, because when Yerim left the world, she took Joohyun’s drive with it.

  

They still call her cold and icy, they still call her emotionless. That couldn’t be farther from the truth, Joohyun had too much emotion, so much that it fuelled her Fire for decades when she was in the navy, scorching villages, enemies, battlefields until it burnt her dry, leaving her hollow and withered.

 

Now all she has left is regret and bitterness to fuel the Flame.

 

So when the Avatar and his friends were brought to her, and the boy, so small, so young, had looked at her and asked her with the same earnestness that Yerim once did, to teach him how to Firebend, Joohyun had refused.

 

Fire is the element of power, what they don’t tell them is that Fire is also the element of destruction.

 

Joohyun knows this all too well- She sees flashes of scorched earth, of battlefields littered with fallen, air heavy with soot every day, every time she closes her eyes to meditate, to sleep. She still sees Yerim’s haunted gaze every night, still has the girl’s last letter tucked beneath her pillow.

 

How can Joohyun trust this child, who was just as young, if not younger Yerim, to be able to handle the scorch of Fire? How can she expect him to walk away from their training without consequence, when he hadn’t learnt the rest of the elements to balance himself? This Avatar is flighty and distracted, Joohyun can tell. He is far too young to be shouldering the responsibility of the world, and lacks the emotional maturity and weight to withstand the heat of inner Flames.

 

Fire takes, it burns, destroys, curses the user with scars beyond Healing.

 

“Please! Admiral- No that’s not right- Joohyun- Miss- Sir! I know I’m probably far from what you expect as an Avatar, and I can’t bend the rest of the elements yet- I have a bit of a grasp on Waterbending, kinda- But! I need this! Please! The world needs this!”

 

Joohyun opens her eyes from her meditation to see the young Avatar’s dismayed expression.

 

“I’m already a hundred years late- A hundred years of suffering- Not just the other nations, the Fire Nation has been too! I need to master the elements using whatever method I can so please- Master Joohyun- Sir, Madam, Miss, whatever you’re supposed to be called- Teach me! I’ll prove myself to you! Just please, give me a chance!”

 

.

 

_New recruits nowadays are so young, Joohyun thinks as she drafts a letter to the commanding officer of Hanjin Port. They need to stay there for a few days for the storm to blow over, technically Joohyun is of high enough stature that she needn’t inform the man, but it was always better to give them time to prepare for the supplies they needed._

_The new recruit is dressed in the same nondescript Fire Nation armour, she’s only slightly taller than Joohyun, and her voice is high strung with nervousness._

_“Kim Yerim, reporting for duty! This is my first day um- Madam? Admiral? I mean- I am incredibly honoured to serve under you! I-“_

_The girl trails off, and Joohyun looks up long enough to see her colouring in shame, Joohyun sighs, soothing new recruits really wasn’t in her job description._

_Joohyun feels a small shred of pity for the girl in front of her, far too young, jittery and inexperienced to don armour and fight for her life. But when the older generations of soldiers fall in battle, younger blood is used to fuel the war._ _Such was the grievances of these times, Joohyun muses, even the Fire Nation can’t be counted on to win every battle, but if the outcome of the war brought prosperity, then who was she to complain?_

_“What, Cadet Yerim? What else do you have for me?”_

_The girl looks at Joohyun, face open and earnest._

_“I wish to master the element of Fire, I’ve never had a proper teacher, in the military they teach us to fuel it with hatred and pain but… I don’t have that capacity to hate, Admiral, which is why I was deemed weak and given to you as an assistant. I hope while my mind is useful to you, that I will be able to learn from you as well.”_

_Joohyun is interested now. Within the military, seldom would anyone place emphasis on the ancient ways. All the newer recruits are interested to learn how to slaughter, to advance, to gain more power quickly, very few are willing to learn the Art itself._

_“Oh? And who are you to be confident that you are worthy?”_

_“When you started out, Admiral, the old Commanders thought your mastery of Fire was a waste of time, those same people are either now under you, or six feet under, while you sit here in front of me.”_

_Yerim swallows as if to gather her wits, but Joohyun is impressed. The Art is what made Joohyun the Fire Lily, the fact that this girl knew alone spoke volumes of her potential._

_“I will prove myself to you, Admiral! If you just give me a chance!”_

 

. 

 

A chance.

 

Joohyun had taken that chance, and driven both her and Yerim to the brink.

 

Would Yerim have given the Avatar a chance, had she survived and perhaps were The Deserter instead? Joohyun doesn’t know, she can’t answer that question with certainty, because Yerim had always been more compassionate than her, a better perspective taker.

 

A chance.

 

“Very well.”

 

The Avatar must not have been expecting a yes, because he double takes and gapes at Joohyun, “What?”

 

Joohyun almost, just almost, smiles at this.

 

“I will train you, but we will start from the very basics. You must not do what I do not allow you to do. We start at sundown.”

 

“Yes!! Anything! Thank you, Master Joohyun!”

 

The Avatar scurries out of her tent, Joohyun can hear his shriek of joy and his friends’ enthusiastic replies.

 

Joohyun is once again left alone to her candles and her memories.

 

. 

_“Very well.”_

_“What?”_

_Yerim gapes at Joohyun from her kneel, and Joohyun lets her lips quirk up in amusement._

_“I said, very well, I will give you a chance. I will personally train you, one session every week, in the Art of Fire.”_

_Joohyun rises from her seat, carefully folding her letter and slipping it into her sleeve. She continues “Starting from basics, you must only do what I tell you to, do not overstep, it is not wise. I hope you won't disappoint me. I will see you tomorrow at sundown.”_

_Joohyun leaves the stunned girl on her floor as she sweeps out from her office to the messenger eagle barracks._

_She lets out a small chuckle, one that she would kill to keep her soldiers from hearing. At least the new recruits seemed lively, perhaps the new generation of the Fire Nation wasn’t as hopeless as she thought after all._

****

 

* * *

 

 

**Would you slap a puppy?**

Jimin is touchy and cuddly, he knows it, he’s aware of it, and he embraces it.

 

Jongin has brought it up a number of times now, Jimin is probably the only one in the Fire Nation who would dare hug and enjoy hugging Taemin.

 

He can’t help it you see, Jimin likes small things, like himself. And he likes cute things, like himself. So wouldn’t it make perfect sense for Jimin to gush over small and cute things? Taemin is well, he'd kill Jimin if he told him but Taemin is quite small himself, muscled and lithe and all but his height? Small. And Taemin could be quite cute when he wanted to, Jimin thinks, too bad he never wants to.

 

That all doesn't matter though, he's not going to stop trying to smother Taemin. He’s spreading love, not hate, honestly they should appreciate what he was doing more! Jimin loves smiling and making people smile, that’s why he joined the circus in the first place, to find a special place where he could stand out and entertain. Until Taemin literally set his safety net on fire. That wasn't very nice of him.

 

Taemin is his friend though, so Jimin doesn’t mind all that much. Sure, Jongin can be a bit broody, and Taemin has a horrible temper, but they were friends! Friends should support and love each other!

 

Look at the Avatar and his friends! Prime example of great friendship, they even bond through the night arguing through thick and thin without threatening to electrocute or burn each other! That’s so nice! Jimin loves bunnies and squirrels and puppies and babies, and the Avatar and his friends were such fluffy sweet squishy children, he just can’t bear to lay a hand on them! For the love of the Spirits, who would bear to slap a cute fuzzy puppy? (Taemin. Taemin would probably slap the puppy in a heartbeat if he so pleases.)

 

The chase had been fun (it had been moderately uncomfortable on the back of a giant lizard but he's flexible, he could make do) and the cornering of prey was exhilarating, but when faced with six exhausted children (who were by the way all taller than him, he’s quite perplexed) he just can’t seem to get his fighting groove on.

 

“Oh but Taeminnie-hyung,” Jimin starts sweetly, his eyes squeezing into lines with his smile, “They’re so cute, they’re just children, I don’t want to do anything that might make them not grow! You know chi-blocking impedes growth for a period of time, if I block them too often they’re losing prime growing time! See-”

 

Jimin bounces on his lizard, “I could’ve been so much taller, but my Master was too harsh on me!” He’s pouting now, remembering how hard his sparring training had been. All those headshots must have taken its toll.

 

The golden one with round doe eyes straightens at this, “Oh hell no, I need to grow taller, I’m still ten centimetres off my dream height, don’t you dare touch me!”

 

 _Oooh feisty!_ Jimin likes that, it reminds him of his own siblings, he places a hand on his cheek “See, Taemin? He has the same issue we do! It’s hard to turn against those that still need to grow, we’re comrades!”

 

“Yeah, Taemin,” Jongin speaks up, apprehension in his tone “They’re kids, they’re Jisung’s age. I’d feel terrible if I knifed one of them in a vital if they move the wrong way.”

 

Oh, Jimin knew Jongin had a heart! He could just hug Jongin right now, he's ecstatic that he and one of his best friends see eye to eye. Now all that's left is Taemin...

 

The other half of his friendship trio is gritting his teeth, “Both of you are doing a horrible job of being my attendants; do you want a taste of my lightning to remind you of your place, or are you actually going to follow orders?”

 

The children, bless them Jimin thinks, all drop into their stances, “We can take ’em, six on three!”

 

Six incredibly sleep deprived teenagers versus three well-rested, military trained fighters, Jimin doesn’t need Taemin’s brain to figure out the odds weren’t in their favour.

 

Oh well, Taemin doesn’t need to know that he pulled a punch here or there, and he can probably avoid headshots with this bunch. That poor kid with white hair doesn’t seem to be seeing straight anymore and the one who fought him with fans on equal ground (Jimin was very impressed, Taemin not so much) is swaying with fatigue, knees about to buckle any second, a flick of a finger would send him crumpling at this rate.

 

Jimin sighs, dismayed that he’s deprived of a good challenge and that these kids are deprived of both sleep and maximum growth opportunity. He reaches down to unbuckle himself from the saddle of the lizard. He has to appease Taemin somehow; if it weren’t these kids it would be _his_ ass getting flamed. Jimin likes his ass very much, thank you.

 

Unfortunately (or fortunately?) Boomerang Boy seem to have some semblance of rationality left in him, he grabs Frosty Unicorn Hair and Tiny Waterbender and starts hauling them onto the back of Giant Furball, yelling for them to get the hell out of here.

 

The rest of the kids are kicked out of their stupor and forced to move when Taemin fires short blasts of flames at them. Tan Doe Eyes (Jimin is only slightly jealous of how _golden_ he is) raises a huge wall of Earth and throws a chunk of it at them. By the time their lizards regroup, the bison is flying away (yes he is very disappointed that he didn’t get to stroke it), white fur trailing in the wind.

 

Jimin would love to recommend a good animal groomer for the bison when they catch up to them, nothing like a good trim and clean to make the buffalo truly star-quality performance worthy.

 

Jongin looks blandly at the horizon where the bison took off carrying the most dangerous group of teenagers on its back while Taemin audibly grinds his teeth behind him.

 

“Back into the tank! It'll catch up with us in a few. They can’t fly forever, we’ll catch up the moment they land!”

 

Jongin sighs as he dismounts, and Jimin mirrors him, they stretch a bit while Taemin drums his fingers against his leg, no doubt calculating the next path.

 

They can hear their ride rumbling towards them through the trees, Jimin busies himself in braiding the long locks of fur that the bison had shed. He holds the braided piece an arms-length away to inspect his handiwork; it would make a decent arm cuff- Oh! Or a friendship bracelet! Jongin might not be down for that though, and Taemin would place so little care in it that it would probably burn off with the first flaming fist he threw.

 

No matter, Jimin decides, it’s too much of a waste to let all this soft nice white bison hair just float around, might as well repurpose it a bit, he’s keen enough to wear allll of the bracelets he made even if the trend doesn't catch on.

 

While he hums and braids, Jimin idly wonders how a fur coat made with all this bison hair would look like.

 

Probably quite fabulous.

 

 

* * *

 

 

**Blood is Thicker**

Changmin is a man of goals. He is one who makes goals, and achieves them. This is what the Fire Nation is built upon- Powerful rulers, great achievers.

 

Changmin is not compassionate. And he is proud that he isn’t, it would have impeded a lot of his incredibly efficient decisions.

 

One such decision is making Taemin his Crown Prince.

 

Purely in the perspective of talent, Jisung exceeds Taemin, the boy is a fine fighter, Changmin knows, but he is too soft, too influenced by his mother and his cousin, that kid Taeyong.

 

Taemin? Taemin is ruthless. Useful.

 

Pitting Taemin against his younger brother since he was little was the wisest decision Changmin had ever made, it groomed Taemin for the throne, and made both brothers stronger. Well, it made Taemin stronger, at least. Changmin would love to have two obedient, powerful, ruthless, tacticians for sons, but one is enough. There is only one throne anyways.

 

Taemin wants to impress him, wants to make the Fire Nation great, wants to conquer the world, and Changmin can definitely make the boy work for him since their goals are aligned- if not, he'll just make Taemin's goals align with his instead.

 

Changmin had decided to place less attention on his younger son. Jisung had a better temperament, and would be a just ruler in more peaceful times, but peaceful times this wasn’t, and Changmin had no use for a weakling as an heir.

 

So Changmin had not been too surprised when Taemin came back from the Earth Kingdom having successfully completed both missions of bringing down the Earth Kingdom and killing the Avatar with the news of Jisung having defected.

 

Jisung is far from the pride of the Fire Nation, while his betrayal brings shame to the Royal Family, Jisung holds little to no tactical value to him- if the opposition dares use Jisung against the Fire Nation, he would let them torture and kill him. One good son is enough, after all.

 

It does surprise Changmin, however, when Jisung walks into his impromptu throne room on the Day of Black Sun, swords drawn and demanding for him to sit down and listen.

 

Changmin knows not to push Jisung- He knows he himself is the strongest Firebender in the world, the only one possibly greater than him is his brother Yunho. The man is now a recluse, holed up in the recesses of the palace, he wouldn’t even take down a mere guard if he were threatened, probably would thank the damn guard for reuniting him with his lover Jaejoong, what a weakling- but when it came to non-bending combat, Jisung holds the upper hand, over Yunho, over Taemin, and unfortunately, over Changmin himself.

 

So he does. He sits down and listens.

 

“For so long, all I wanted was for you to love me, to accept me. I thought it was my honour I wanted- but really? I was just trying to please you.”

 

Hmph, Jisung has done nothing but disappoint Changmin with how soft and lenient he was, if this was Jisung’s idea of impressing him, the boy had a long way to go.

 

Jisung continues voice getting thicker and higher with emotion “You threatened to banish me if I failed to retrieve the Avatar, then you sent Taemin after me, to kill Taeyong-hyung and I- I’m your son! Your own flesh and blood! How can you justify sending your own flesh and blood to kill another of your own?”

 

Changmin barks out a laugh, it’s been years of ignoring this child, and yet he’s still too dull to grasp it, ”You were a failure.” Changmin says, scathing.

 

“I’ve set you two up from birth, I wanted you two to _compete_ , and get better than one another! I wanted _two_ successful sons! Instead, I get one that’s promising, and another one who’s a _failure_ , a _traitor_ to his own Nation, just because you were too weak to fight back!”

 

Jisung is glaring at him, Changmin feels almost proud that his son is showing personality for the first time, but he does not appreciate defiance or disobedience, especially towards himself.

 

“It’s cruel! And wrong!”

 

“You have learned _nothing_!” Changmin snarls.

 

His banishment, his encounter with his brother should have motivated him to get better, to be more decisive. If Jisung had killed Taemin instead when he had first sent Taemin after Jisung, or if Jisung had assisted Taemin in killing- actually killing the Avatar, Changmin would welcome him on the dais next to him with a seat and open arms, for not only Taemin, but Jisung as well, but the younger son has learnt nothing, has not awakened from his mushy world of what ifs and kindness and peace.

 

Kindness does not bring you a Nation. Kindness does not win you a war.

 

“No!” Jisung’s voice cracks with emotion, but his chin is up and his gaze unwavering, “I've learned everything! And I've had to learn it on my own! Growing up, we were taught that the Fire Nation was the greatest civilisation in history and the War is to spread out influence to the rest of the world.”

 

Of course it was, Changmin thinks, those who can survive the war, the best of each Nation would greatly benefit from their enlightenment, scum that are weak do not deserve to live in this world.

 

 _His_ world.

 

“That’s the biggest lie we’ve ever dreamed up! The people of the world are terrified by the Fire Nation! They hate us! And we deserve it!”

 

“The era of the Fire Nation was started by your Great-Grandfather, Fire Lord Junsu, he was destined for greatness, as we are.”

 

_As I am._

 

“No father, Fire Lord Junsu wasn’t destined for greatness, he was a small man who was insanely jealous of the amount of power that his best friend wielded, and he feared her, he feared what would happen to him if Boa discovered how rotten he truly was, so he took the first opportunity he could to get rid of her!

 

“Look at our nation, look at this world you want to rule, father! It’s scarred, it’s divided, our nation was once destined for so much greatness, but this isn’t it! We lost our culture, we killed the creatures who taught us Firebending for what? Glory? Honour?

 

“We’ve sucked ourselves dry and we’re continuing to do that, our culture went from living with and respecting the dragons, and worshiping the sun to this destructive military culture… Tell me, father, what are you planning for the world after you conquer it? How will we earn the respect of all the people?”

 

Insolent child, Changmin thinks, how dare he come before him and act all self righteous? He’ll do away with him the moment his advantage of non-bending combat is gone.

 

After all, dead dogs are worth far more than disobedient dogs.

 

“We will rule with fear, Jisung, we will conquer with terror and power. After I leave the earth to burn when the Comet comes, I will rebuild a world reborn in ashes-”

 

Changmin can feel that exact moment when a sliver of the sun comes out from under the moon's shadow, because power surges through his veins and heat floods his flesh.

 

“-and you will not be a part of it.”

 

He snaps his eyes open, and channels the opposing currents of energy across his limbs, with a practiced ease he shoots billions of volts of electricity at his failure of a son.

 

The moment lightning hits Jisung, the Prince is forced back a few steps, eyes wide and body convulsing under the voltage, but the Prince’s gaze narrow and sharpen, and before Changmin’s eyes, his electricity travels around Jisung’s body in a fashion too orderly to be random.

 

It takes Jisung stretching out two fingers for Changmin to realise Taeyong had long prepared the brat for this confrontation.

 

He leaps from his seat just as Jisung’s redirected lightning strikes the throne.

 

Changmin roars in anger, but by the time the dust clears and guards come in, he knows the boy is long gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summary for 'Only Ashes Remain': Chenle is brought to an ex-Admiral of the Fire Navy Joohyun, where he pleads for her to teach him Firebending, Joohyun refuses at first because the young Avatar reminds her of a student she mentored, Yerim, who had taken her life after she couldn't accept how much blood she had shed to get to her final position as a Commander of the fleet. Joohyun adamantly believes that Firebending, the element of destruction was what brought Yerim to ruin and that the Avatar was too imbalanced to handle it. Joohyun agrees in the end to teach Chenle because after thinking it through, she believes if Yerim had survived and deserted instead, she would have been happy to teach the Avatar the Art of the Flames.
> 
> Seungwan (RV Wendy)- is Shyu, the loyal Fire Sage  
> Jungsoo (SJ Leeteuk) is Aunt Wu, the fortune teller  
> Joohyun (RV Irene) is Jeong Jeong the Deserter  
> Yerim (RV Yeri) is a character I dreamed up because I wanted Irene to get a backstory  
> Junsu (JYJ Xiah Junsu) is Sozin, the Fire Lord who started the genocide and indirectly killed Boa when he refused to save her from the volcano on her home island  
> And as always, Changmin is Ozai, Taemin is Azula, Jimin is Ty Lee and Jongin is Mai
> 
> This started out with a dream of Leeteuk going "Chenle, your husband is a v powerful bender and a total klutz, pls watch yourself and be careful, you two could potentially destroy mankind"  
> I typed Jungwoo instead of Jungsoo way too many times because I'm just not used to referring to Teukie as such == Yes the boy Leeteuk was referring to in Renjun's telling is Yukhei, the wound from his betrayal is still fresh because they literally ran into Aunt Wu like one episode later
> 
> I loved writing in Jimin's POV lemme just put that here :D
> 
> From the very beginning after drafting the Dreamies, I knew immediately that I wanted Irene as Jeong Jeong, I loved the depth of his character and with Irene I wanted her to decide herself to teach Chenle Firebending rather than be forced by Boa and I wanted a plot where she didn't have to mentor a shithead like Jeong Jeong with Zhao. I thought my baby Yerimmie would be the perfect fit to be the final straw in motivating Irene to leave the navy- I rewrote draft after draft and this one where she takes her own life was the most effective, since it dug deeper into Irene's scars. I wasn't trying to insult anyone and if anyone feels offended by this plot choice I apologise, please remember this is just a fictional universe and I am not romanticising suicide. I hope this was a good enough explanation for the plot changes I made >< If it's too much, please comment so I know how to correct it! I really value your opinions and I really want to learn how to write better, including sensitive subjects, please believe me when I say hurting or offending anyone is the last thing I want ;;
> 
> As for the Day of Black Sun- I wanted Jisung to confront his father and have a resolution to his lifelong neglect- the Dreamies split up (Jaemin and Hyuck with Chenle and Mark with Jisung) when they get into the bunker, the three end up killing time with Taemin and Jisung ends up being able to find the throne room. He manages to convince Mark to wait outside while he confronts his father. Mark agrees that this is a hurdle he needs to get over so he only charges in to grab Jisung after Changmin goes ham with the lightning, but since Changmin won't know all this so it wasn't detailed in.
> 
> Do drop me a comment and let me know what you think! Thank you so much for reading!!!


	9. Ambitious Generals and Demonic Ostrich Horses (Mark)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Hyung, I don’t think I should be trying to bring on the Avatar State”
> 
> Chenle’s eyes are downcast, lips downturned in a pout.
> 
> “Okay.” Mark says easily, “You’re the Avatar after all, General Shin can’t be too upset since he can’t claim to know better than you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have you noticed I semi gave up on delegating a chapter to a character? All of the Dreamies (bar Hyuck because he's still underground and Jisung who's busy getting exiled) play a pretty important role here, so I can't decide, but this is Mark POV so
> 
> I can't believe y'all read 9 chapters of this, THANK YOU SO MUCH EEEEEEEEEE
> 
> Warning: mention of blood? Like Mark's fans go slicey dicey, but it's like one sentence and it's not graphically described or anything- as usual if there are any problems or discomfort, leave me a comment so I can make it better!

When Chenle told them that he wanted to accept General Shin’s offer to master the Avatar State, Mark was lukewarm about it, Jaemin had agreed cautiously while Renjun and Jeno were against it.

 

Mark knows how Renjun feels about the Avatar State controlling Chenle, and even he finds it mildly unsettling whenever the younger’s tattoos glow and he speaks with all the past Avatars, let alone Renjun who was practically Chenle’s caretaker since he cracked him out of his ice cocoon.

 

(Wouldn’t this essentially make Chenle Renjun’s weird ice baby chick then? Mark refuses to let his thoughts dwell on that subject matter for any longer. He still needs to be able to look them in the eye.)

 

With Jeno’s added worry of the Avatar State putting a huge strain on Chenle’s body, Mark is even less sure of this plan of the General’s to cart Chenle off to the Fire Nation and zap everyone with his Avatar-ness.

 

Jaemin as usual, is perceptive enough to pick up on Chenle's view-point, “You’re thinking you don’t have the time to master all the elements, right Lele?”

 

Chenle nods reluctantly, “I need to defeat the Fire Lord by the summer before Junsu’s Comet arrives, that’s what Boa-noona told me. I’ve spent an entire winter and I still think I have a long ways to go on Waterbending! And I haven’t even touched on Earthbending yet! Firebending… I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to use it, hyung… I feel like the Avatar State is our only chance to win.”

 

Jeno sighs, “We do support you Lele, we know you’ve put in a lot of thought into this. What Injunnie and all of us are worried about is that you... lose yourself in the Avatar State. You become some sort of a fighting machine, and that really scares us, because you in the Avatar State is not- well- not _you_.”

 

“It’s painful for people who love you to see you like that, Lele.” Renjun adds quietly.

 

Chenle curls in on himself miserably, and Jaemin walks over to give him a hug, “Chenle, I’ll go with you to the General, we’ll be with you throughout all this, just, I’ll support you with everything I have as long as you promise to try not let the State control you, okay?”

 

Chenle’s voice is small, but Mark counts it as something when he mumbles, “Okay.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

It was funny at first. It really was.

 

"Ten-fold energy, huh?" Mark mumbles to himself as he eyes the green teapot with thinly veiled suspicion.

 

General Shin Donghee is a big man with big dreams. When Chenle tells him he’s willing to try out his plan, the man lights up and immediately ushers them into a room to begin Phase One to Light Chenle’s Tattoos.

 

Which is, unwittingly, tea.

 

After Chenle drinks the ‘rare chi-enhancing’ blend, he spends a solid fifteen zipping around the room at warp speed on an Air Scooter armed with a screech from hell, voice and laughter higher than it’s ever been and sentences formed so quickly that all they can hear is a mashed mess of words.

 

“OIOIOIOIOIIIIIII IS IT WORKING? IS IT WORKING? I CAN’T TELL! SOMEBODY TELL ME IF I’M IN THE AVATAR STATE ‘CAUSE I DON’T HAVE A GOOD VIEW OF MYSELF! AHAHAHAHAHAHA HYUUUUUUUNG! MY FACE FEELS LIKE IT’S MELTING OFF! I CAN’T FEEL MY LEGS! YOOOOOOOOO! AM I TALKING TOO LOUD?”

 

“Well,” Jeno starts mildly while nursing his (normal) tea, “He can always try talking the Fire Lord to death.”

 

Chenle only stops his ten-fold energy fuelled scooter run when he slams into a pillar with a pained  _oof_.

 

 

* * *

 

 

General Shin then tries to enact Phase Two of his Human Avatar Torch Plan by asking the members of the team to scare Chenle.

 

Now, Chenle is a relatively squeamish kid, and would squeal at just about anything from throwing a fake snake into his lap to just jabbing a finger into his sides.

 

Nevertheless, Jaemin makes a valiant attempt to scare the boy by stuffing Winwin into his robe and having the lemur leap out and shock him whenever Chenle laughs.

 

They do get quite a few deafening screams, and Chenle gets so startled he starts hiccupping, so they call that one off because they care about Chenle’s cardiovascular health and the functionality of their ears.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Phase Three of General Shin’s grand plan to Make Chenle Glowy involves the use of a showy, overenthusiastic old oracle.

 

All of them are crowded into a dark room in the basement. Chenle is bundled into the ceremonial garb of all the nations and the old shaman lady stomps her feet and warbles out an amalgamation of all the nations' anthems. Mark barely resists rolling his eyes because _who is this kook?_

 

The old scam then wiggles about as she empties ‘elements’ into a bowl with a flourish, and throws the torched mud into Chenle’s face with a dramatic, “Four elements, together as one!”

 

Chenle stills in shock at the onslaught of sludge in his face before his little nose wrinkles with annoyance, “This is just warm mud!”

 

On the sidelines, Jaemin laughs and laughs and even Jeno and Renjun manage a small giggle.

 

“But do you… feel anything?” The oracle peers at Chenle, hands clasped in eagerness for an answer.

 

Chenle doesn’t answer for a second, and Mark leans in. Maybe, just maybe, this woman wasn’t that crazy after all. He raises a finger, and all of them take a deep breath in anticipation, General Shin gets out of his seat to take a closer look.

 

Chenle sneezes, shooting up and out of the garb and coating all of them in the ‘four elements’.

 

General Shin mops tepid mud off his face and shakes his head.

 

Well. Next.

 

 

* * *

 

  

All this failed experimentation takes a toll on Chenle, Mark can tell because the younger’s shoulders are lower than usual, and rather than stuffing his face at dinner as he usually does, Chenle is poking at his dish until everyone finishes.

 

Jeno takes him aside to smooth water over his limbs and relieve his sore muscles, rebalancing his chi from all of the exciting activities of the day. Renjun gets up from his seat, cornering the younger laid on Jeno’s lap.

 

“Lele- Can we talk?”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Chenle’s spirits seem even lower after Renjun adamantly told him last night that he didn’t like the Avatar State, and he didn’t appreciate how General Shin and Chenle were taking shortcuts. Renjun had chosen to stay behind in the quarters, refusing to watch Chenle strain and put himself through everything to get into the Avatar State and Jeno had opted to keep Renjun company.

 

Mark can empathise with Renjun. He cares for Chenle, they all do, but Chenle’s guilt of running away and coming back a hundred years late is pushing him to take all the risks to stop the war, and it’s straining him, both mentally and physically. There’s only so much Jeno can do after every practice session to patch Chenle up.

 

So when the next morning sees Chenle approaching him to tell him that he doesn’t think they should trigger the Avatar State, Mark agrees easily to support him in whatever decision he made.

 

Chenle shuffles sheepishly into General Shin’s library, with Jaemin and Mark flanking him for emotional support.

 

Renjun is the closest thing Chenle currently has to a parental figure, and if Renjun decided that it’s too painful to watch Chenle make the decision then Mark will back Chenle up- because Chenle, despite being a century old Avatar, is still painfully young, and he needs someone to stand by him.

 

Judging by Jaemin’s gaze when they meet eyes over Chenle’s golden head they had automatically reached a consensus: If General Shin dares to push Chenle over the edge, the two of them will be here to protect him.

 

“Oh dear… Are you absolutely sure I can't change your mind, Avatar?”

 

General Shin’s brows are so tightly furrowed there’s a dimple nestled in the middle of his forehead from the force of his frown.

 

Chenle, to his credit, stands as tall as he can, “I'm sure. I think I can only reach the Avatar State when I'm in genuine danger… I don’t think we should be trying to trigger it.”

 

“Well,” The General’s response is half-hearted as he fingers at the stubble on his chin, “You see, I was afraid you'd say that.”

 

Without warning, General Shin Earthbends his entire desk at Chenle.

 

The impact sends Chenle flying across the room, he crashes through the wall with a pained yelp and practically soars out of the building in a perfect arc.

 

“Chenle! _Agh_!”

 

Mark and Jaemin immediately spring to his aid, only for them to be grappled down by the soldiers standing by.

 

Chenle manages to break his fall with his Airbending, landing safely on the ground, but not without wincing and clutching his shoulder.

 

General Shin barely spares Mark and Jaemin a glance, he walks over to the hole Chenle created in his wall and points at the young blond.

 

“Men! Attack the Avatar!”

 

Immediately, as if the soldiers on the base were long waiting for this prompt, several Earthbenders move in to surround Chenle. More reinforcements emerge on the back of ostrich horses, spears and swords drawn.

 

General Shin jumps out of the building and hits the ground feet first, the tiled ground ripples from his Bending, and the rock wave moves at an alarming speed towards Chenle, successfully pushing the boy further into the containment circle made by the Earthbenders.

 

“What are you doing?!” Mark can only watch on as Chenle jumps up and down, back and forth to avoid attacks from the Earthbenders, demanding answers in fear and confusion, “Why are you attacking me?!”

 

“No…” Jaemin’s eyes are already alight with the answer, “No, you can’t force him!”

 

Jaemin tugs violently against his restraints, while Mark is still, petrified to the spot in shock, “NO! You can’t do this! Stop! General- Stop this- NOW!”

 

If the General gives no indication that heard Jaemin’s howl, he rubs his hands together in glee as he smirks, “I believe we're about to get results.”

 

Mark wants to punch the smug expression off his face.

 

Chenle is doing a good job of dodging the Earth disks that they’re sending after him, but a particularly close shard of rock has Mark fighting for air into his lungs.

 

He’s still unharmed, but Mark has a really bad feeling about this.

 

“I’m not your enemy!” Chenle screams at the Earth soldiers, “I won't fight you!”

 

The Earthbenders respond by sending more earth discs his way. Chenle jumps into the air just as four discs crash into the spot he was in a split second ago with a loud bang. As he begins to lose altitude, another Earth disc slices through the air towards him, Chenle barely swipes it away with a gust of wind.

 

The earth disk sails towards them and for one terrifying second, Mark thought his last memory would be of Chenle’s frightened face, until one of the guards holding Jaemin down moves to smash the earth into pieces with a punch.

 

Jaemin uses this moment to step on his other guard’s bare foot and throw the yowling bender at the one that just saved their lives, the force of two heavy-set men colliding was enough to send them both over the edge down the side of the building.

 

Mark yells, “GO!” before Jaemin can make to help him, and thankfully, he understands.

 

In a split second their strategist changes direction and darts down the corridor to run down the steps to get down the proper way (read: not tumbling down the window). Mark silently curses the General for putting his office library so high up the building that jumping down without bending would mean certain death.

 

While Mark’s guards are wondering whether they should go after Jaemin or stay guarding him, Mark uses their hesitance to his advantage. One well-placed tap on the fan at his hip frees it from its sheath, the sharp metal fan opening under its weight at it falls. He's not even sorry when the open fan slices at the bare feet of one of the guards, when the man releases his grip on Mark, he uses his now free arm to unsheathe his second fan, swiping it open across the forehead of the other guard. The fan cuts open the skin with ease, and the second guard lets go of him in favour of cradling his forehead.

 

The floor is slippery with blood, so he lowers his centre of gravity, and two well-placed kicks to the chest sends them against the bookcase on the wall, hard. Mark lifts his leg to slam once more into their head for good measure so they stay out cold (they deserve it, he thinks in cold rage) before running off in the direction Jaemin went.

 

Jaemin is nothing if not a fast runner, he’s already reached the plaza and whacked an unfortunate soldier off his ostrich horse and clambering onto the back of the restless animal by the time Mark is out of the building and at the long steps leading down to the training grounds.

 

Chenle is flipping into the air again, narrowly missing two huge Earth coins sent parallel at him as he flattens himself in mid-air to slip between the strikes, he whips up an Air Scooter to escape two more coins, zigzagging past several soldiers who attempt to slow him by conjuring rock walls in his path.

 

Chenle starts scaling up the wall of the base with his Air Scooter, trying to get to a height where the Earth soldiers can’t touch him, but two soldiers stamp on the ground, and use their Earthbending to propel them and the ostrich horses carrying them upwards.

 

Chenle’s Air Scooter gets thinner and thinner as he runs out of air to bend, he uses his lighter weight to his advantage though, and continues scaling the wall with his momentum. The ostrich horses manage to keep their claws in the crevices of the wall as the Earthbenders give chase to Chenle, using their Earthbending to embed the ostrich horses’ feet into rock to secure its footing. On a good day, Mark would have been clapping and cheering for the wall-climbing bird-horse hybrids, but the two soldiers in hot pursuit close in on Chenle, and Mark’s heart skips a beat when they swing at him with their spears midair and misses Chenle by a hair’s breadth.

 

Chenle somersaults forward to avoid their spears yet again. Even from this distance, Mark can see Chenle’s face grimace in pain as he twists his body, no doubt jostling the arm that went through the library wall in the first place. Chenle is agile and fast, but there’s only so much he can do with a busted shoulder.

 

Chenle lands on the ground, on the centre of the square where the engraving of an Earth coin is embedded into the ground. The General uses the coin, raising the disk with a hollowed out centre to trap the young Avatar and uses the coin like a hoop to loop Chenle forward in front of him. The General cackles gleefully.

 

“You can't run forever!”

 

“You can't fight forever!”

 

Chenle’s jaw is tense with defiance, he leaps into the air again to avoid the General’s attack as the older man lunges towards him and crushes the Earth coin.

 

Dust obscures Mark’s vision, but he can make out Jaemin and his squawking hijacked ostrich horse. Their tactician seems to have finally gotten a grasp on his demon horse and managed to stop it from trying to throw him off his back, instead his ride is flapping and kicking and biting at other ostrich horses, making major disturbances to the fleet of soldiers at the edge of the square.

 

Jaemin is slowly making his way in, chipping at the force from the edge.

 

Renjun and Jeno must have heard the loud crashes of the battle because Mark bumps into them at the stairs, brows creased with confusion and worry. Jeno shouts over the din, “What’s going on? Why is Chenle running?”

 

“The General has gone crazy! He’s attacking Chenle so he’ll slip into the Avatar State!”

 

“What?!”

 

“Jaemin is in there! We need to stop more soldiers from joining! If Chenle manages to buy enough time, Jaemin can grab Chenle and book it out of there!” Mark yells at Renjun and Jeno, hoping they managed to hear enough.

 

He certainly hopes this goes smoothly enough, it doesn't matter whether Jaemin can physically ward off all these soldiers, as long as they have the speed to evacuate the vicinity where the Earth soldiers have the upper hand over Chenle, they'll be out of the sticky situation, and hopefully have enough advantage to give the Earth fleet a good thrashing.

 

Renjun cracks his knuckles and draws water from his waterskins and Jeno unsheathes his spear from his back dark eyes flaring, “The General wants to play?” Renjun says, seething, “He’ll get it.”

 

They leap into action together, and Mark is at home once again, beloved fans slotted familiarly in his hands. He’s aware of Renjun sweeping away row after row of Earthbenders on his far right and Jeno covering his back, twirling his trusty crescent bladed Guan Dao.

 

"Hyung, duck!" Jeno calls and Mark obediently sweeps a leg out into a crouch, simultaneously tripping two unfortunate soldiers over. Jeno grins briefly as he swings the crescent blade almost effortlessly, and Mark admires his mastery over the heavy weapon.

 

Jeno is wicked good at the spear, but he also wields a crescent blade spear with alarming dexterity. Mark is somewhat glad that Jeno grabbed the right weapon for this huge confrontation, because the crescent blade, while huge and rather unwieldy compared to a lighter spear, was incredibly good against larger amounts of opponents with its quick whirls and heavy slashes, even though Mark has no doubt Jeno would definitely still be able to hold his own with a less advantageous weapon.

 

He whistles under his breath when the strong slash takes out at least six soldiers in a circle, and Jeno spins the blade around and lunges forward a bit more to extend his range, Earth soldiers scramble back to avoid the bite of the sharp blade. Only a Master would be able to keep the momentum of the blade and accuracy of the spear in balance, Jeno is the opposite of Renjun- he doesn't particularly love the fight, the combat, the challenge- but he's damn good at it, and Mark thinks he would've been such a waste sitting out of the battlefield like he did in the Siege of the North.

 

Mark throws one of his fans out with a flick of his wrist and successfully wards off two soldiers at Renjun's blind spot, and the Waterbender  tosses a  _thanks!_  over his shoulder and uses the stumble to grip at their feet with a whip and throw them away from the fight. He hears the familiar whistle of Jaemin’s thrown boomerang and the resulting screams as his throw hits the mark. Compared to Mark's fan's and Jeno's spears and blades, Jaemin's boomerang isn't the sharpest weapon, but Jaemin has a good throwing arm and a better aim, and Mark knows from first hand experience that a boomerang to the forehead, even when they were playing around, hurts and bruises terribly, Mark doesn't want to be on the receiving end of Jaemin's Boomerang Throw of Rage. Ever.

 

It's incredible to him, even though he knows they're all capable and skilled in their own way, but Mark always marvels when they manage to work together as such a cohesive team when they're in danger, not just when they're trying to tease the hell out of him (he's only mildly perplexed to be honest) It's these moments when it hits him, the rush of battle, the impending victory, the collaboration and genuine trust between them and their coordination despite words unspoken.

 

The Kangta Warriors were intense, trained to move as one, not individuals meshing their skills together, but rather a single unit, a part of a whole. Mark never assumed a leader role, and was kept in the sidelines because of his age and because of their fondness towards him. Here, he's able to lead his team to certain victory, able to inspire each other into protecting each other, keep their bond close and kick some serious ass. Mark thinks sometimes he's the luckiest of them all, to be able to leave his small island on such a journey with such great friends.

 

The world rests of their shoulders, and yet their relationship doesn't sour despite the huge responsibility, they've only grown closer since Jeno joined the group. And they'll grown closer still. 

 

He'll do anything to protect them. He feels this in his bones.

 

“Chenle!” He hears Jaemin scream, “Come to hyung! I’ll get you out of here!”

 

Mark tears his eyes away from the fight long enough to see Jaemin and his ostrich horse reaching the centre of the square, where Chenle is still sidestepping and dodging attacks.

 

The General’s eyes narrow, and with a gesture, a well-placed rock erupts from underneath Jaemin’s ride and Jaemin is catapulted into the air, he sails a good few feet to land smack a few paces in front of the General.

 

“Maybe you can avoid me, Avatar, but he can’t.”

 

General Shin tenses his hand, and the ground beneath Jaemin responds, he twists and as if the ground turned into liquid sand, sinks knee deep into the Earth.

 

“Hyung!”

 

“Jaemin!” Renjun sends a whip out to the General, who raises a pillar of dust from the ground to deflect his attack and trap the water into mud.

 

Jeno pushes a guard off his ostrich horse, and makes to ride to the centre of the square, spear swiping carelessly at the wave of soldiers trying to stop him, “Jaemin! Hang on!”

 

Jaemin strains to pull himself up, but to no avail, horror dawning in his eyes as he meets Mark’s equally dismayed gaze.

 

Dread churns in Mark’s stomach, coming up in choked breaths.

 

A swat from an Earthbender brings him back to the fight, and he deftly deflects several projectiles from him, a well-placed kick to his chin has the Earthbender out cold on the ground.

 

Mark defends Renjun’s back while the Waterbender tries to make a geyser out of the mud that would propel him to Jaemin’s rescue, but a slab of rock bowls Renjun over with a yelp and Mark is suddenly fending off scores of soldiers for the both of them as Renjun collects his breath on the floor.

 

“Hyung!” Chenle calls for Jaemin again, trepidation steeped in his voice. He leaps to the ground and sends a huge gust of wind at General Shin, who simply summons a wall of Earth to block the attack.

 

The General is smirking as he brings the wall down, “If you were in the Avatar State, you would be able to save him.”

 

He sinks Jaemin down into the ground further, this time burying his waist deep.

 

Chenle sprints to land on his knees in front of the General, breath coming in short gasps in his panic, “Please, General, I’m sorry! Please don’t do this! Don’t hurt Jaemin-hyung!”

 

Several soldiers leap into the air and manage to land on Jeno and his ostrich horse, weighing him down and holding him to the floor, Jeno struggles and bites to strain free, but five soldiers were too much for even Jeno to fend off.

 

“Chenle!” Jaemin calls, even in his state he shows more worry towards Chenle than towards himself, “Lele, breathe! Breathe for hyung, hyung will be fine!”

 

Mark knows Jaemin’s situation is anything but fine, but he’s right in the sense that a hysterical Chenle would be no help to anyone at all.

 

General Shin scoffs, “I don’t see any glowing.”

 

Another tensing of his fingers has Jaemin whirling down to his chest level.

 

Chenle is hyperventilating; he crawls forward on his knees and grabs at the General’s hand, “Please- I’m trying, okay? I’m trying! Jaemin-hyung is really important to me, please-“

 

Jaemin sinks neck deep, and tears start rolling down Chenle’s cheeks.

 

Mark absolutely hates seeing this, seeing Jaemin so out of reach, seeing Chenle so distressed.

 

In the beginning, Chenle was the Avatar to him, an idol, someone he had to serve, and Jaemin was someone who he admired, not for his skill in duelling (Mark had disarmed him pretty easily) but his willingness to learn and his brilliant mind. Slowly they had all grown on him, (like fungi, he jokes sometimes) like family. It absolutely kills him to see people he considers younger brothers to be in danger, and they definitely have a death wish if they’re making their smiley youngest cry.

 

Mark kicks an Earthbender in the side and sends another flying backwards into Jeno’s heap of captors with a twist of his torso and a powerful punch. Renjun helps by flinging several disoriented soldiers away from Jeno, his control over the water in the mud trumps theirs', and he manages to turn their mud against them and knock them away. Jeno wriggles free from their hold while the men are dazed. He nimbly picks his way towards Jaemin, vaulting over the rocks that the remaining men erect.

 

Jaemin’s eyes are still on Chenle and only on him, he keeps shouting to Chenle to breathe and stay calm, “Don’t let him control you, Lele, you promised me! No matter what!”

 

Chenle has gone from grasping the General’s hands to clutching the General’s armoured robes as he looks back and forth between the imposing General and Jaemin, eyes wide and demeanor impossibly small and young, “You don’t have to do this!”

 

General Shin laughs, apathetic to his pleas, “Apparently I do.”

 

“Jaemin!” Jeno bounds over a mini rock cliff in his way and stretches out his hands to grab at Jaemin, whichever part of him, before he disappears into the earth, but the General grips his fist tight, and the Earth responds.

 

“Chenle! Hyung believes in y-“

 

_Splosh_

 

Ice drips into Mark’s veins when liquid Earth swallows Jaemin before he can finish, and Jeno is left grasping at the rough but seamless surface of the pavement, “No…”

 

" _NO!_ "

 

Chenle’s tattoos light up violently in an instant, when he turns to look at the General his usually happy expression is twisted in anguish and anger.

 

“YES!” The General had the audacity to bellow and laugh triumphantly, “IT WORKED!”

 

A powerful Air Blast wipes the smug smile off the General’s face, as he soon realises that Chenle was angry at _him_. And the wrath of thousands of years was directed at _him_.

 

His expression morphs into fear in a split second as Chenle performs a chopping motion with his hand, and that slice of air blasts General Shin backwards, the stocky man lands roughly on the ground.

 

The residual wind from that chop lands on the stone staircase behind the General, ripping tiles from their places and drawing fissures into the rock.

 

Renjun is crumpled on the floor next to Mark, tears running down his face uncontrollably. Jeno remains stunned and still on the pavement where Jaemin last vanished. Mark crouches over Renjun to shield him as he tries to call Chenle’s name, but his voice is lost in the chaos.

 

They can only watch, dismal, as Chenle rises into the air on a vortex of sand and dust and earth under the control of the Avatar State. Chenle’s vortex grows and grows until he’s standing on a huge dust devil, expression thunderous.

 

It finally seems to dawn on General Shin that he’d messed up.

 

“Avatar Chenle!” The General calls above the din, “Can you hear me? Your friend is safe!”

 

A pull of his fist brings Jaemin back up from the ground, whole and complete and gasping for air.

 

Jeno freezes for a millisecond before he scrambles over to hold Jaemin in his arms tightly, in case the General tries anything else. Jaemin shakes his head twice to clear it, then clutches back just as desperately.

 

Mark's heart seems to restart itself- funny, he didn't realise it had stopped for so long- but seeing Jaemin alive made him realise how horrible it felt to live with a Jaemin-sized hole in his chest. But now- Chenle-

 

The pitter-patter of his heart is still irregular as he gazes at the rampaging Airbender. The General hasn't stopped trying to placate him, “It was just a trick to trigger the Avatar State-“ A maniacal grin stretches across his face “-and it worked!”

 

Chenle shows absolutely no sign of hearing anything, he swivels about on the vortex and lands on the ground forcefully with a _boom_ , a flurry of dust spreads across the training field and Mark can feel the structure _shake_  in tandem with the Earth. General Shin is forced back several feet and lesser soldiers are blasted away completely, Mark braces himself for impact but it never comes and he remains rooted in his place.

 

The torrent of dust rumbles outwards towards the lesser soldiers, and when it finally clears to reveal the ground, Mark does a double take to see the ground broken and fissured and in ruins. He watches the torrent continue to make it’s way outwards from the arena, like an ever expanding circle, towards the houses in the base.

 

The dust devastates the area, leaving houses damaged and trees torn. It took the General a huge rock wave to knock Chenle and several soldiers off their feet, while a single dust cloud from the Avatar had completely eradicated the structural integrity of one of the largest army bases in the Earth Kingdom.

 

The pieces of land where he and Renjun were and the separate circle Jeno and Jaemin are holding each other on are completely unscathed save for a few tremors. Mark looks to Chenle who was now hovering in the sky again, eyes and tattoos glowing ominously, surrounded by a dome of air.

 

Chenle had unconsciously protected them even when he had no control over his actions in the State.

 

His Chenle- _Their_ Chenle was still in there, behind the mask of the all-powerful Avatar.

 

Jaemin seems to realise this too, because he finally wiggles out of Jeno’s loosened grip, and stands, wobbly, with Jeno’s support. His face is creased in misery and empathy as he calls to Chenle.

 

“Chenle-yah, Hyung is okay, Hyung is right here-"

 

Something breaks in Mark at Renjun, Jeno and Jaemin's crestfallen and broken expressions, each of varying sadness and understanding. None of them blame Chenle for this, none of them, but they all know Chenle will blame himself, for destroying the base and endangering hundreds of people, and especially for breaking his promise, for losing control.

 

"Lele, please come back to us... Don’t tear yourself apart like this.”

 

There's a subtle, almost undetectable shift in expression on Chenle's face, and his brows begin to relax. The gales seem to weaken bit by bit.

 

Mark can see Chenle's individual fingers moving, as if he's trying to regain control over his limbs. When the wind lessens into a soft breeze, Chenle’s air sphere lowers him to the ground.

 

The glow from his tattoos fade and he falls to his hands and knees, weak, to the ground, eyes alert and finally conscious. He looks around and surveys the wreckage he had wrought on the base. His eyes fall on the ruins of the arena and surrounding structures, and Mark can see his bottom lip trembling.

 

Renjun surges forward to sweep him into a hug, Mark, Jaemin and Jeno make their way over to their youngest slowly, careful not to startle the young Avatar.

 

From the looks of it, Chenle is drained and emotional and sensitive and the last thing Mark wants him to think is that they were angry at him. They’re not, if there was someone to blame it had to be the General, not Chenle. Never Chenle.

 

“I'm sorry,” Chenle mumbles, eyes flitting to each and every one of them, voice filled with sincere regret. Mark’s heart twinges at how dejected he sounds, “I hope you never have to see me like that ever again.”

 

Renjun cups his face to thumb away the dust on his cheeks, sweeping the front of his curly hair off his forehead, and Jaemin walks over to encircle them both in his arms. Chenle clutches so hard at Jaemin's arm that his knuckles turn white, but Jaemin doesn't seem to mind a bit, he holds back just as desperately. Jeno's eyes flit over to Mark as he reaches for his hand for comfort, eying him up and down for injuries, to which Mark gestures a _later_. Chenle’s busted a shoulder, Renjun’s gotten a huge boulder thrown at him and _Jaemin_ \- Mark’s scrapes and bruises can wait in comparison.

 

The General walks up from behind them, they break apart to glare at him collectively, to which he remains unfazed, tone triumphant as he bellows, “Ha! Are you joking? That was amazing! Almost perfect! We're one step closer to eradicating the evil plaguing the world! We just have to find out a way to control you when you're like that!”

 

“You’re insane!” Renjun rages, murderous gaze in stark contrast to how gently he holds Chenle. Their youngest has his face buried into Renjun's shoulder, but Mark doesn't need to see his expression to know that his features are screwed up in an effort to not cry.

 

The General shrugs, “I guess we'll figure it out on the way to the Fire Nation- Guards! Prepare the ships! We’re-“

 

Mark's blood boils and he doesn't bother to think before stepping up and bringing his arm down heavily to club the General in the back of the head with the butt of his closed fan. The General crumples mid-sentence and passes out from the impact. Mark feels that angry knot in his chest ease, just a little.

 

He raises an eyebrow at the surrounding soldiers, all still down and frozen at Chenle’s display of power, “Problem with that?”

 

The soldiers shake their heads so fast Mark is vaguely worried for their ligaments.

 

“Good.”

 

Satisfied with their response, Mark walks back over to his friends and throws an arm over Jeno's shoulder, the younger relaxes at his touch.

 

“Sir, do you still need an escort to Omashu?” One of the soldiers ask timidly.

 

If Mark was to be honest the last thing he wanted was to hang around any of these people. Right now, he just wants to hug Chenle and Jaemin and Jeno and Renjun, maybe recount this experience to King Heechul so the crazy old man could have a laugh and they could all be reassured that they’ll bounce back from this quick. An escort? Mark doesn’t want that, and he trusts that Kun remembers the way to Omashu.

 

Jeno seems to share his vexation, because he has an uncharacteristic look of annoyance as he replies, “I think we’re all set.”

 

Chenle burrows his way out of Renjun’s embrace and makes his way over to Mark. Before he can apologise, Mark just sweeps him into another tight hug, hands finding their way into Chenle’s golden curls to smooth the tangles out.

 

“Don’t apologise, Lele, it wasn’t your fault.”

 

Renjun helps to put Chenle, limp from exhaustion, on Mark's back and the eldest carries the youngest to Kun. Chenle immediately curls up next to one of Kun's paws, and their Bison lets out a rumble of concern, nuzzling his Airbender with a damp nose. They have a minor squabble over who should move what before they all collectively decide that Renjun should rest, so he joins Chenle on their warm furry temporary sofa, occasionally brushing stray golden locks from his forehead as the rest of them load their supplies onto Kun. Mark feels almost criminal for picking up Chenle and removing him from Kun's side when they leave, so he keeps Chenle bundled up in his arms when they fly, Renjun and Jeno don't let go of Jaemin either and they stay on Kun’s back in an awkwardly intertwined pretzel of eternal friendship.

 

The wet patch that Mark earns on his shoulder from hugging Chenle dries and fades as he takes the reins for the night. He feels Chenle's small hand reach for the back of his robes and looks backwards to see the rest of them fast asleep in a big puppy pile. Mark finally smiles.

 

They’re all safe and alive after this ordeal, and Mark knows they will emerge stronger after this, once they sort out all their wounds and emotions.

 

Off to Omashu they go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realise my end notes are getting longer and longer so here this is, short and sweet
> 
> General Shin (SJ Shindong) is General Fong from the episode The Avatar State  
> I sincerely hope the fight scene makes sense, it's really not easy keeping tabs on like 5 people in a fight but I hope I did it justice. Had a lot of fun writing the first few attempts at the Avatar State though, no lie (I feel like Chenle's perpetual state is like post-chi-enhancing tea lmfao)
> 
> The Guan Dao or the Crescent Blade is actually an ancient Chinese weapon, it's basically like a huge crescent knife attached to the end of a long pole, it's incredibly heavy and it takes an awful lot of strength and training to wield, it's a weapon fit only for generals on horseback. I have no idea what the western equivalent would be called, so traditional name it is! Fun fact that one variation of the name of the Guan Dao is Yan Yue Dao, which literally means reclining moon blade- suits Jeno's character an awful lot, eh?
> 
> As of this chapter, Chenle is their youngest, which is why they all feel rather protective over him ><
> 
> Thank you for reading this far! Please do leave me a comment! I hold all of your comments and kudos close and they're like my fuel :D they keep me enthused about this AU and I can't thank you enough!!! <3333


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